Times of Oman - January 24, 2016

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

To the students of Sultan Qaboos University, 2000

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ You, or some of you, may not remember that time when there were schools in tents. When we first set up the Ministry of Education we issued directives that every effort must be made to build schools as quickly as possible using all available facilities. Schools were indeed built with the greatest possible speed - taking into consideration the circumstances of that time - and that marked the start of the development of primary, then preparatory, then secondary education. We aimed to establish an educational system as fast as we could, because we knew that Knowledge is Light and light is the opposite of darkness.

SUNDAY, January 24, 2016 / 14 Rabi Al Thani 1437 AH

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‘Budget airline won’t affect Oman Air plans’

PLUMMETING MARKET

Oman Air will share its resources with the low-cost

Share market losses to induce slowdown A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A slowdown in economic activity in several sectors is expected with investors on the local bourse losing hundreds of millions of rials and the stock market plummeting to a sevenyear low.

The investor community in general will spend less since there is a substantial (notional) loss in their portfolio investments or financial assets.

“These are the times when people generally avoid luxury consumption due to the fact that they are not able to generate income from short-term eq-

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uity market investments,” said Kanaga Sundar, head of Research at Gulf Baader Capital Markets.

Liquidity crunch Although the actual loss will be felt when an investor sells his shares, the investor community in general faces a liquidity crunch, since they are unable to divest their equity shares.

Local and foreign investors on the Muscat Securities Market (notionally) lost OMR720 million in share value, when the market plunged by 539.22 points or almost 10 per cent since the beginning of the year (14 trading sessions) to close at 4,867 points on Thursday. >A6

carrier leading to their optimum utilisation in the sector expected to grow at 40%, said Gregorowitsch

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Entry of low-cost airline into Oman’s aviation market will not impede Oman Air’s ambitions, a top official from the airline has said.

“Oman Air has grown over the last year thanks to the competition. The new entrant will not stop us in our ambitions,” Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air’s chief executive officer (CEO), said in

JOINT EFFORT: Oman Air will work together with the new

low-cost airline and share its infrastructure for better utilisation.

an exclusive email interview with the Times of Oman.

“We will continue on our journey to become the best and await the initiatives of the new entrants with confidence,” Oman Air’s CEO added.

On Wednesday, the Muscat National Development and Investment Company, Asas, was awarded an air services operator licence by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation to establish Oman’s first low-cost carrier.

The new venture is expected

to fuel economic growth underpinned by strong air traffic demand, which is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2019.

While responding to a question on what steps would Oman Air initiate to avoid a price war, Gregorowitsch said that as the initiative of the new entrant is supported by state investment funds, Oman Air will work together and share resources, such as the new simulator building, crew reporting building, emergency response facilities and integrated opera-

tional control centre.

“We see it as an opportunity to grow the market and to provide extra guests to our growing international network,” he said, adding that Oman Air is currently waiting to get more information about the low-cost airline’s routes and pricing point plans.

Commenting on why Oman Air didn’t launch a low-cost airline, Gregorowitsch said the airline launching a low-cost airline would be a diversion from its own brand position of being a full service airline and openly questioned if a lower cost base could be obtained, based on the existing labour laws in Oman and the lack of economic scale within a limited market.

During the announcement of the licence being awarded to the new low-cost airline, Khalid bin Hilal Al Yahmadi, CEO of Asas, had said that Asas’s aim would be to become one of the main development and investment arms for the government and pension funds in the country.

The low-cost airline’s CEO said that as the national budget airline, it would provide access to economical and efficient means of transport and further advance the aviation sector in the Sultanate of Oman. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Sweet aroma of Omani halwa

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High student dropout Enforcement of a cause for concern ban on smoking

Science, tech pact to boost US-Oman ties

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The US Embassy in Muscat reaffirmed that the pact between the United States and Oman on cooperation in the field of science and technology was a significant step forward. The pact would lead to expansion of cooperation in the field of science and technology for peaceful purposes, said the US ambassador. >A6

Thousands of students are dropping out from higher education every year in Oman and the trend will have a negative impact on the government’s efforts to empower the private sector with an educated workforce. An average of 7,000 students drop out from the degree courses a year. The high dropout number is putting a financial pressure. >A2

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A section of the public has called through social media that the recent government decision on issues, such as a ban on smoking in enclosed areas and selling fish outside markets, should be enforced strictly. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had banned vendors from selling fish outside the market premises earlier this year. >A5

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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We have a high standard of quality and taste so I can say with great pride that many come here for my halwa Ahmad Al Riyami Owner, Al Asala Factory for Omani Halwa

Minimum wage set by Nepal for expat workers The Nepalese government has fixed the minimum basic salary and food allowances for employment of Nepalese unskilled and domestic workers coming to GCC countries including Oman at OMR120

Times News Service MUSCAT: Nepalese government has fixed minimum basic salary and food allowances for unskilled and domestic workers at OMR120 in Oman, according to a statement issued by the Nepalese Embassy in Muscat.

“Those sponsors willing to recruit Nepalese workers through individual recruitment will also have to provide two way air tickets to workers and obtain their visas, free of cost,” it said in a written communiqué issued this month.

Welcoming this decision, President of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, D B Chettri, said the embassy has also decided that only family members of those currently working in Oman can apply for individual visas/employment contracts on behalf of relatives.

“However, in absence of these relatives in Oman, the embassy may attest such a document, if the following conditions are fulfilled, where a job seeker had already worked in Oman or a professional.

“Except for an unskilled workers, who found a job for himself in Oman through online applications or interviews, and if the employment is provided by the

COUNTRY WISE MINIMUM WAGES

Nepal: OMR120

India: OMR75

Bangladesh: OMR70

Ethiopia: OMR110

Philippines: OMR160

Oman government entity or diplomatic missions based in Oman, application for attestation can be submitted by relatives through authorised representatives.

“Companies that do not meet these requirements may contact any registered manpower agency in Nepal before they obtain a visa, and follow the procedures the same way as they would do for group recruitments,” he said.

Earlier, Nepal stopped issuing

labour permits to migrant workers whose air tickets and visa fees were not paid by prospective employers in Oman.

This comes after the government of Nepal decided to send workers abroad for employment at no cost. “The decision provides that recruiting countries willing to recruit Nepalese workers will have to provide two way tickets to all workers and obtain their visas free of cost,” said Rojina Tamrakar, chargé d’affaires of the Nepal Embassy in Muscat.

The official also noted that this rule applies to all Gulf countries, including Oman.

“The Government of Nepal, Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), issues labour permits to Nepalese workers going to GCC countries and Malaysia for foreign employment, only after ensuring the terms of free visa, free tickets (two way) and no other costs shall be deducted from the salaries of workers,” she said.

“Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) in Nepal can now issue labour permits to only those migrant workers whose applications are attached with letters by employers ready to pay for their air tickets and visa fees. And these employers’ letters should be attested to by the Nepal Embassy,” she said.

The Embassy of Nepal in Muscat, in this context, requests companies to clearly put this provision in the demand letter to the submitted in the Embassy for attestation.

“They are also requested to mention in their agreement with the concerned manpower agency in Nepal if any commission or service charges are being paid to manpower agencies in Nepal for recruitment purposes,” she remarked.

C O M M E N TA RY

Higher education dropout rate is a cause for concern SUNDAY BEAT SALEH AL SHAIBANY

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housands of students are dropping out from higher education every year in Oman and the trend would have a negative impact on the government’s efforts to empower the private sector with an educated workforce.

An average of 7,000 students drop out from the degree courses a year. The high dropout number is putting a considerable financial pressure on the government’s scholarship system and takes away a potential knowledge pool from the private sector. There are also concerns about students who take longer to complete their courses or those who change institutions after going through academic difficulties.

But whose fault is it?

Flaw in education system This is one flaw in Oman’s educational system that leads to be rectified urgently. On top of the list is the preparedness that would make students ready for specialised subjects.

When they enrol in the foundation year, students have no idea which degree to pursue. Very

few schools have a career guidance system to advise them on the future. And the ones that have, are obviously ineffective. In colleges and universities, students are often left to their own devices to fend for themselves.

Again, they reach the dead end of the career guidance there. Universities do not link statistics of job availabilities with either the private or public sector.

When they are required to choose a speciality, they often have to do it ‘blindfolded’ and ‘walk the plank’ hoping there will be a soft landing at the end of it four years later.

Once they get in the first year of specialisation, they face another formidable challenge — some of them get in the turmoil of dealing with the stress of coping with their studies.

Colleges and universities do have counselling but either the ‘service’ is superficial or exists only in name. And again this is a ‘customer service’ based on commercial aspect, which may not connect deep enough with students.

maze of syllabuses and some get seriously tangled up in the academic wilderness.

Emotional turmoil Young adults go through a series of emotional waves and they need someone who can sit on the passenger’s seat and watch how they drive through the highway of uncertainties.

Sometimes they chose to drop out not because they are ‘stupid’ or don’t ‘work hard enough’ but someone is letting them down within the establishment of higher education. Some institutions, whether in basic or advanced education, keep their students ill-informed about the offered courses. Another factor is that our intuitions do not clearly communicate with students the pathways and progression routes. They ‘bump’ their way in and out in the

Huge cost So the cost to the government will not only be to lose a vital part of human resources had they graduated or loss of money that educated them without success, but also to find them a solution to get them out of their problems. The costs of rehabilitation can be profound and the one that the government will be reluctant to spend in the current economic situation.

In conclusion, the blame must be shared both by the government and educational institutions. The academics must take responsibility for taking their jobs lightly in nurturing troubled students while the government for not effectively monitoring the system.

Breaking point They only realise that they chose the wrong course when they are halfway to graduation because all the time they were under pressure or simply could not find the right guidance or advice, either at school or when they are in the higher education level. When the stress level reaches a breaking point, they simply give up and drop out. This is the point where they realise that they enrolled in courses with misplaced conceptions or had very little interest in their content. The frightening thing is that the education system will deem them as failures. You don’t need statistics or an expert to tell you that these are students who will be more likely to develop serious mental health conditions.

Because the society sees them as outcasts, they are also prime candidates to experiment with drugs or engage in criminal activities.

OMANPRIDE

Working to spread sweet aroma of Omani halwa

SHOW-HOW: Apart from selling the Omani delicacy, Ahmad Al Riyami and his team also showcase the art of making halwa by providing a platform where visitors are shown the process of making the sweet first-hand. – Supplied photo

TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Visitors to the Naseem Garden can savour the sweet taste of Oman during the Muscat Festival as a long time halwa maker has offered them the national delicacy during all the years the festival has been held.

Ahmad Al Riyami, owner of the Al Asala Factory for Omani Halwa, has been participating in the Muscat Festival since 2001 and has been selling halwa to the visitors ever since.

Apart from selling it, he and his team also showcase the art of making halwa by providing a platform where visitors are shown the process of making the delicacy first-hand. “I’ve been working on making halwa for 15 years and we have been participating in all Muscat Festivals (held so far). We are continuous participants,” said Al Riyami.

A long line can be seen outside the stall, where visitors from various nationalities wait for their chance to purchase a fresh batch of halwa.

“I actually came to the festival specifically for this (halwa), it’s amazing,” said an expatriate visitor, who wanted to remain anonymous. “We have a high standard of quality and taste so I can say with great pride that many come here for my halwa,” said the owner.

Compared with last year’s festival, Al Riyami said there was the same level of activity at his stall, not more, adding that there had been abundant purchases from his stall. “We have several types of halwa, priced differently; some are OMR1 and some are OMR2,” he said, adding, “Some of our visitors take the standard quality, medium quality and excellent quality halwas. Everyone has their own choice.”

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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Top-of-the-line British warship docks in Oman

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GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET KERRY US Secretary of State John Kerry held a meeting with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Riyadh on Saturday. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, took part in the meeting which discussed GCC-US cooperation in light of the decisions reached at the GCC-US Summit held at Camp David in May last year. Issues related to developments in the region and the international efforts to combat terrorism were also discussed. -ONA

Commanding Officer of the HMS Defender, Stephen Higham lauded the

T I G E R B Y T H E TA I L

relationship that the

Strays find well wishers in animal welfare activists

United Kingdom has with Oman and said that he appreciated the kindness and

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

hospitality shown

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com

to him by the Omani government,

BOOSTING BILATERAL TIES: The HMS Defender has the most advanced weaponry and radar systems available. – Erik Prins

whenever the Royal Navy anchored its ships in Oman

ERIK PRINS

erik@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: One of the most advanced and powerful British warships anchored at the Port Sultan Qaboos in Muttrah yesterday, and will help bolster the United Kingdom’s ties with the Sultanate, the Royal Navy said during a tour of the ship.

The HMS Defender D36, the fifth most powerful British Royal Navy Six Type 45 Destroyer, has just returned from operations in the Arabian Gulf, supporting French vessels attacking Daesh in Syria and Iraq, according to Sean Trevethan, weapons engineer at the HMS Defender.

“We are very happy to be here, after four months of being on operations. We’re very fortunate to have such good relations with Oman and to come into Muscat for a period of sustainment and to give the shipping team some rest and recuperation and to resupply it in order to continue with our operations,” he stated.

Trevethan added that the ship and its staff will stay anchored in Oman for five days to boost bilateral relations with the Sultanate.

Omani military officials had visited the ship yesterday for a dem-

onstration of the HMS Defender.

According to Trevethan, the HMS Defender is the first of such vessels to return to the Arabian Gulf within a year, as it is the second newest ship of the Navy, with a highly experienced staff and advanced capabilities.

“We have made a promise to have one such ship in the Gulf all year round,” he said.

The HMS Defender, capable of carrying out a wide range of operations, including anti-piracy and anti-smuggling activities, disaster relief work and surveillance operations, as well as high intensity fighting, has the most advanced weaponry and radar systems available, Trevethan told the Times of Oman.

Highly capable Lieutenant Tom Thicknesse, the ship’s Air Director, explained during a tour in the control room that the HMS Defender, due to its advanced radar systems, is capable of tracking down suspicious aircraft, as well as other vessels, which pose a threat.

“We have highly experienced staff, who can take action if needed,” he stated.

Commanding Officer of the HMS Defender, Stephen Higham lauded the relationship that the United Kingdom has with Oman.

“Nobody understands the dynamics in the Gulf region better than the Omanis,” Higham said, adding that he appreciated the

kindness and hospitality shown to him by the Omani government, whenever the Royal Navy anchored its ships in Oman, before returning to operations.

“We are on constant operations, working with French and American aircraft carriers, delivering strikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. We cannot do that unless we have the support of our friends, particularly the Omanis.”

Higham stressed the need for maintaining a base in Oman to support operations in the region.

“This two billion dollar ship, with some of the most advanced and complex technology and machinery afloat anywhere in the world, requires constant maintenance. We value Oman’s role as a base for sustaining our ships, as well as for sustaining the relationship with Oman,” Higham said.

He also told the Times of Oman that he sees great potential in the new port of Duqm as a base for hosting British ships.

“It’s important for us to always have flexibility. It makes sense to use Duqm as a sustainable base for our operations in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden.

Higham said that after its current, second deployment, the HMS Defender will arrive in the United Kingdom in July for a period of extensive maintenance due to its complex equipment.

The ship will be out of commission for almost a year, he said.

MUSCAT: For Mariyam Al Balushi, animals are like her own children. She is a dedicated core member of a welfare group for unfortunate animals in Muscat.

She and her group, Tiger by the Tail, work to sterilise stray animals, rescue those that are sick, injured or abandoned and find new homes for those they have rescued.

Al Balushi currently has around 56 cats and four dogs. She started helping stray animals in the year 2010 and is now spending more than OMR2,000 per month.

The welfare group Tiger by the Tail was founded by Jaison Mathai, an Indian expat to help stray animals in Muscat and to create awareness among the public about the welfare of animals.

“By joining this (Tiger by the Tail) group, I am getting more help from the people, who love animals like me and now I can share my expenses with them,” Al Balushi told the Times of Oman.

The group has eight core mem-

Mariyam al Balushi and Jaison Jaison Mathai with one of the animals in their care. -AR Rajkumar

bers. Other members of the group are Julie Valters, Manjula Reddy, Nasra Ali, Nivya Crasto, Pushpa Negi, Sarojini P, and Siami Zohra.

Among them are two doctors from the Capital Veterinary clinic.

According to the members, their group is an inspirational one for many that does so much for animals in Oman.

Jaison Mathai, the founder of Tiger by the Tail, stated, “It’s a group that brings together people that want to help stray cats and dogs in Muscat. We work on with a trap-neuter-release (TNR) policy for cats and dogs.”

“This group is also active in rescuing animals in distress, whether they are sick, injured, trapped or abandoned. We then spay/neuter them and we try to find them homes,” Mathai added.

According to him, finding a perfect home for these animals is a major issue.

“Many people enjoy owning pets, but do not know about the responsibilities that come with owning pets,” he added.

“Many of them don’t know what certain breeds need so they end up unhappy with their pets and give them away,” he added.

Members of the group also said that in order to help stray animals on the street, they needed support from the authorities.

“We desperately need more support or intervention from the authorities, and we hope that what we do makes a small difference to these precious lives,” a group member said.

According to Al Balushi, there should be a government policy or law to make people aware against cruelty towards to animals.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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Crowds throng Muscat Festival POPULAR HAUNT: Muscat Festival 2016 saw a large crowd

gathering in both Amerat Park and Naseem Garden on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The visitors enjoyed various activities including traditional, cultural and entertainment shows. Here are some glimpses of the extravaganza. - Photo courtesy Al Sihr for Art Production

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Call for stricter enforcement of ban on smoking Besides appeals issued through social media for strict enforcement of ban on smoking in enclosed areas, there have also been demands to prevent vendors from selling fish outside markets

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A section of the public has called, through social media, that the recent government decision on issues, such as a ban on smoking in enclosed public areas and selling fish outside markets, should be enforced strictly.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries had banned vendors from selling fish outside the market premises earlier this year, while the Muscat Municipality had banned smoking in enclosed areas.

Ahmed Al Sawafi, a resident of Khuwair confirmed that individual fish vendors were still selling fish in public areas, such as Khuwair. “They are still selling it in front of the government officials.

I wonder why the government has become silent on such violations,” said Al Sawafi.

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries must not only depend on reports relayed by the public, but also assemble a team to follow up the practice of such decisions.

On the other hand, a national working in one of the big hotels in Muscat said the hotel he worked at had violated some of the re-

Smoking is already banned on all public transport and in all enclosed areas and the Muscat Municipal Council has also suggested it being banned even in open public places

strictions enforced by the Muscat Municipality relating to smoking in closed areas.

“One of the regulations was to place an ashtray at a distance from the entrance and completely ban it inside enclosed spaces. At the hotel, the management had adhered to the Municipality direction for the first three months, but they later placed the ashtray back near the main entrance of the hotel,” said the national.

He added that due to his employment in the hotel industry, he had noticed that some of the clubs still allowed smoking in some areas of enclosed pubs.

Such hotels did not care about the rules, as their hours of operation were usually late in the night and nobody from any government unit is expected to show up without notice.

A reliable source at the Muscat Municipality said the Municipality represented by the Health Affairs Directorate always followed up on the implementation of its directives. “The directorate does not only rely on public reports, but carries out regular inspections,” said the source.

He added that sometimes decisions are taken by joint teams from different government units and that the supervision of these inspections does not fall under the Municipality’s responsibilities, but other ministries or authorities.

The Muscat Municipality has been fining offenders OMR100 to OMR300 for violating the smoking ban.

Smoking is already banned on all public transport and in all enclosed areas, including government premises, health centres and hospitals, clinics and dispensaries, educational institutions, industries, commercial centres and markets, restaurants and coffee shops and clubs.

Recently, the Muscat Municipal Council suggested it being banned even in open public places. A member of the council told the Times of Oman that the decision was still under consideration by the concerned authorities and is expected to now cover the whole Sultanate, and not only Muscat.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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We should utilise this opportunity to achieve economic diversification and development of business Marc J. Sievers, US ambassador to the Sultanate

Drew Dudley to deliver lecture on leadership Drew Dudley has spoken before more than 250,000 people

A G R E E M E N T I N D AV O S

Science, tech pact to boost US-Oman ties: US envoy MUSCAT: The agreement signed by the United States and Oman on cooperation in the field of science and technology was a significant step forward, the US Embassy in Muscat reaffirmed.

The deal would lead to expansion of cooperation in the field of science and technology for peaceful purposes and for providing further opportunities in exchange of views, information and skills, said Marc J. Sievers,

the US ambassador to the Sultanate in a statement.

The agreement was signed on Friday in Davos by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, minister responsible for Foreign Affairs and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

“We should utilise this opportunity to achieve economic diversification and development of business,” he said, adding that the US would benefit through providing new research

and development of partnership with academic institutions in the Sultanate.

He said that the US has bilateral agreements with the Sultanate and multi-party agreements with various countries in the fields of science and technology.

The agreement provides a mechanism for research and development efforts and facilitates exchange of scientific information among other aspects. —ONA

FEBRUARY 8

on five continents

ROP to auction unclaimed vehicles in Dhofar region

and has been featured on ‘The Huffington Post’, Radio America, Forbes.com,

TARIQ AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com

and TED.com

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Drew Dudley, the former coordinator of one of the largest university leadership development programmes in Canada, will be the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Speaker at a Back-to-Business (B2B) Oman event on February 9, according to organisers.

B2B Oman is the largest networking event in Oman, now in the third year, and will be held at the Grand Hyyat Garden from 7 pm till 10:30 pm.

“Drew Dudley nevertheless embraces the idea that ‘leadership

cannot be taught. It can only be learned.’

This year he is giving talk on the theme of ‘Leadership,’” the organisers said.

Dudley has spoken before over 250,000 people on five continents, has been featured on The Huffington Post, Radio America, Forbes. com, and TED.com, where his “TED talk” has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time” and viewed over 2.5 million times. $5 million He has also helped raise over $5 million as the Founder or Chairperson of several organisations dedicated to supporting scholar-

ship funds, social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives, including a record-breaking term as the National Chair of Canada’s largest fundraiser for post-secondary students, “Shinerama: Students Fighting Cystic Fibrosis.”

TED is a global set of conferences run by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slogan “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

It was founded in 1984 as a oneoff event; the annual conference series began in 1990. TED’s early emphasis was technology and design, consistent with its Silicon Valley origins, but it has since broadened its focus to include talks on many scientific, cultural, and academic topics.

MUSCAT: A bidding “war” is expected to start next month as the Royal Oman Police (ROP) prepares to auction off unclaimed vehicles, which were detained at the Al Mazyouna Police Station in the Dhofar Governorate.

The ROP announced it will begin auctioning on Monday, February 8, vehicles which were impounded for violating traffic laws and unsettled fines.

Locals, residents and visitors from outside the Sultanate will be able to participate in the auction and those willing to take part will be able to inspect and appraise the vehicles from February 3 to 4 from 9am to 12pm at the Al Mazyouna Police Station.

According to the ROP, the impounded vehicles had violated traffic laws, which includes safety violations, and are held for not more than two weeks; during that time the owner must settle any fines or violations before the police are able to release it.

If the vehicles are not claimed within six months from the allotted time of detainment, they are auctioned off.

There are several criteria under which vehicles are bound to be confiscated, according to the traffic law. Article 20 states, “Police officers must stop any vehicle that doesn’t adhere to safety and security requirements or specifications other than what is on the

TIME FACTOR: If vehicles are not claimed within six months from the allotted time of detainment, they are auctioned off.

registration. The vehicle must be sent to the directorate or the nearest police station for inspection.

“If the vehicle does not fulfil the specifications mentioned, the registration will be confiscated, as well as its number plates, and will not be released until the violations for which the vehicle was stopped the first time have been cleared.”

It is also mentioned in Article 11 that the vehicle will be confiscated if the number plate is different than the one mentioned on the registration.

Article 43 also stated that the vehicle will be confiscated if the car contains any drawings, writing, information or advertisement without prior approval from the ROP. However, any unsettled

fines from the previous owner must be settled by the new owner of the vehicle.

OMR50 fee In order to be eligible to enter the auction, participants must pay an OMR50 fee, which is refundable if the participant does not buy a car, but if the car is sold, it will be deducted from the car’s insurance; the winning bid must pay the full amount and cannot negotiate a lower price; and the buyer must pay a 3 per cent denotation.

The buyer must transfer the vehicle in not more than three days from the date of purchase; otherwise he would have to pay an OMR5 fee each day for seven days after the three day period lapses.

AIR TRAFFIC

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Aviation sector growing

“It will naturally complement our diverse projects that will soon go on stream, including our real estate and entertainment projects to maximise impact and generate sustainable returns. The constant growth of the aviation sector in the region is what drove us to explore the sector and create value

for Oman,” he added.

According to latest data available, air passenger traffic through the Muscat International Airport, until the end of November 2015, reflected an increase of 17 per cent to 9,321,617 passengers, while it rose by 21 per cent at the Salalah Airport, compared with the same

period in 2014. Data showed an 18 per cent increase in the number of arrivals to 4,708,379, until November 2015, compared with 3,991,125 passengers for the same period in 2014. The number of departing passengers also rose by 16 per cent to 4,583,962, from 3,941,684 passengers a year ago.

BEAR RUN

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Disposable income erodes

The overall impact of the plunge in market will be seen in slowdown of overall economic activities,” said Hassan A, an Indian investor, who has been investing on the Muscat bourse for more than a decade.

The disposable income (net income available for spending) of local investors from stock market gains has already eroded, which will percolate down resulting in an overall slowdown in the economy.

“When an investor gains from the market during a bull run, they realise the gain and go for luxury items, such as cars. With the market at record lows, I will not spend on luxury items,” added Hassan.

However, a section of investors reinvested in the market when they gained from their portfolio investment, which is also not happening now. This had led to a fall in market liquidity.

Sundar said that as far as corporate entities (such as insurance and investment holding firms) are concerned, they will try to optimise their expenses to survive in this difficult economic environment.

Referring to the general trend in the local bourse, Sundar said people are trying to get out of the market since investments in

equity markets are liquid assets.

“These are liquid assets, which can be realised quickly. The equity market always acts as a lead indicator of economic performance. Other asset classes, such as real estate could be difficult to liquidate to generate liquidity.”

Right to sell A majority of local investors are holding their stocks on the expectation that the market will recover during the second half of the year, when crude oil prices recover in global markets.

“I will hold the stocks until the market recovers,” said Hassan A. Hassan, who owns stocks of 10 companies, which will fetch him little higher than OMR10,000 at the present market price.

“However, my portfolio was worth around OMR80,000 when the market was its peak sometime in 2008,” he said, adding; “I have gained on several occasions when I sold stocks, which were bought during initial public offerings.” Hassan purchased shares from both primary issues and the secondary market. “I don’t know what is going to happen in the coming years.”

Suresh Kumar, head of research at Al Maha Financial Services, said an investor’s decision

to sell an investment portfolio currently depends on their market experience and the nature of investment.

“Some investors must have seen similar market cycles at least two times earlier. They are serious long-term investors,” said the market analyst.

“Long-term investors will capitalise on this opportunity since they get cheaper assets,” noted Sundar.

However, first time investors, who are not experienced (and look for quick returns), will get out of the market.

Echoing a similar view, K Mustafa, another investor, said he would also hold the shares. “I am not going to sell my shares immediately. I had incurred heavy losses during the last market crash, after the global financial crisis,” noted Mustafa, who has investments in four companies —Galfar Engineering, Al Anwar Holding, Ooredoo Oman and Oman Cables.

“I had incurred heavy losses way back in 2009, after the major market crash. I have sold all my investment portfolios thereafter and never re-entered the market due to my bad experience,” said V T Saileshwaran, managing director of Apollo Hospital.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

A7

REGION A L L E G E D S TA B B I N G

IRANIAN STUDENT SCALES FROZEN WATERFALL

Palestinian girl, 13, shot dead by Israeli guard

An Iranian student of a climbing school uses ice-axes and crampons to scale a frozen waterfall on Friday in the village of Meygoon, 60km northeast of the capital Tehran in the Alborz mountain range. — AFP

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead by an Israeli security guard she allegedly tried to stab at a settlement in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli police said on Saturday.

It was the latest fatality in an almost four-month-long surge of violence that has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided, and it followed two stabbings this week inside settlements carried out by Palestinian teenagers, according to Israeli authorities.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said initial investigations showed the teenager “had fought with her family and left her home with a knife and intending to die”.

The family of the teenager, Ruqayya Abu Eid, confirmed her death. Her mother, Reeda Abu Eid, said there had been no trouble before her daughter left the family home, a tent in the Palestinian village Anata.

“Her father works in a farm and Ruqayya used to go to him.

I didn’t see her when she left so I expected she had gone to her father,” she said.”Ruqayya is a small girl, how could she stab someone?”

Since the start of October, Israeli forces have killed at least 149 Palestinians, 95 of them assailants allege Israeli authorities. — Reuters

‘US, Turkey ready for anti-IS military action’ Joe Biden is in Turkey as the latest round of Syria peace talks are planned to begin on Monday in Geneva but were at risk of being delayed partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation

JOINT STRATEGY: US Vice-President Joe Biden, left, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,

right, speak during their meeting at the presidential office, located in the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. - AFP/TURKISH PRIME MINISTER PRESS OFFICE/HAKAN GOKTEPE

was talking about a military solution to IS, not Syria as a whole.

The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition ruled out even indirect negotiations unless Damascus took steps including a halt to Russian air strikes.

Biden said he and Davutoglu also discussed how the two NATO allies could further support rebel forces fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Kurdish political grouping in Syria, said on Friday the Syria peace talks would fail if Syrian Kurds are not represented.

While the United States draws a distinction between PYD, whose fighters it supports, and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, Davutoglu reiterated the Turkish position that the PYD’s military wing is part of and supported by the PKK. The PYD’s military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) has seized swathes of Syria from IS with the help of US-led strikes and declared it an autonomous administration, to Ankara’s chagrin.

Davutoglu said on Saturday the YPG had become an increasing threat to Turkey.

Ankara has fought a decades-

RU S S I A N O R S Y R I A N WA R P L A N E S

Pro-government air raids kill scores in Syrian provinces BEIRUT: Air raids killed scores of people over the past 24 hours in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir Al Zor in northern and eastern Syria, which are mostly controlled by IS militants, a monitoring group said on Saturday.

Air strikes carried out by Russian or Syrian warplanes killed at least 29 people in the town of Khasham near the city of Deir

Tunisian PM vows to keep democracy intact at all costs TUNIS: Tunisia’s prime minister said on Saturday that the country’s young democracy would be preserved “whatever the cost” following four days of violent job protests and riots, and that it would take time to respond to young people’s economic demands.

An interior ministry spokesman said the situation was calm across most of the country, a day after authorities imposed a nationwide nighttime curfew.

The demonstrations that began in the impoverished town of Kasserine on Tuesday and spread across the country are the most serious since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia has been held up as a model for democratic progress since the 2011 revolution.

But there has been rising dis-

US Vice-President

ISTANBUL: US Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States and Turkey were prepared for a military solution against IS extremists in Syria if a political settlement was not possible, amid uncertainty over scheduled peace talks.

The latest round of Syria peace talks are planned to begin on Monday in Geneva but were at risk of being delayed partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation.

“We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared. .., if that’s not possible, to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh (IS),” Biden said at a news conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

A US official clarified that Biden

VIOLENT PROTESTS

Al Zor on Saturday, the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Death toll 44 The death toll in two other towns near Deir Al Zor reached 44, in strikes also carried out by Russian or Syrian warplanes the day before, it said.

In Raqqa city, IS’ de facto capi-

tal in Syria, at least 32 people were killed.

Russian jets have been bombing around Deir Al Zor as Syrian pro-government forces clash with IS fighters, who control most of the province. The group has besieged remaining governmentheld areas of the city since last March and last week launched new attacks. — Reuters

long insurgency against Kurdish PKK separatists which in July reignited into a violent confrontation with Turkish security forces.

Biden strongly criticised the PKK which is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. “ISIL (IS) is not the only existential threat the PKK is equally threat and we are aware of that,” Biden said.

“The PKK has shown no desire or inclination to do that (live in peace).It is a terrorist group plain and simple. And what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous.” — Reuters

content over a lack of jobs and high living costs, especially in the country’s interior.

The country is also facing a threat from extremist militants, who launched three major attacks last year and have been gaining strength in neighbouring Libya.

Destroy transition Prime Minister Habib Essid told a news conference that he understood the demands of young Tunisians, but said people seeking to “destroy the democratic transition” had taken advantage of the protests.

“I appeal for calm and for national unity and complete security across the country to preserve our nascent democracy which is the only example of success in the region,” he said. — Reuters

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

INDIA

We respect what has been said by his own daughter. Netaji had only one daughter and what she has said is in public domain and the country must respect her sentiments because she has been anguished by this deliberately created mischief and controversy Anand Sharma, Congress spokesperson

JA I P U R L I T E R AT U R E F E S T I VA L

Intolerance remains high, says noted poet Vajpeyi

DEFIANT: Writer Ashok

Vajpeyi during ‘Ramchairtmanas’ session at the Jaipur Literature Festival at Diggi Palace in Jaipur on Saturday. -PTI

JAIPUR: Noted writer and poet Ashok Vajpeyi on Saturday refused to take back the Sahitya Akademi award that he had returned stating that “intolerance levels remain high” in the country. “...Intolerance levels remain high and widespread. Look at what happened to a Dalit student driven to suicide. This is also intolerance,” Vajpeyi said on the sidelines of the ongoing Jaipur Literature festival here.

He had recently returned the D.Litt honour conferred to him by the Hyderabad Central University in protest against the “anti-Dalit” attitude of authorities.

Vajpeyi said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had voiced his grief at Rohith Vemula’s suicide, he had underplayed the Dalit issue.

“The prime minister emphasised the fact that a mother has lost a son but he underplayed the Dalit part of it. It must be a part of his (main) approach to the problem,” Vajpeyi said.

He also slammed the government on its “slow response” to the Hyderabad scholar’s suicide.

“I believe that this young Dalit scholar was driven to suicide. Now they are saying that there will be a judicial commission to look into

his death, which is good. But all belatedly. Why have you waited six days for this event to simmer?” Vajpeyi said.

The Hindi poet was among the earliest of about 40 writers who had returned their awards in the past few months to the Sahitya Akademi in protest against the literary body’s silence on the killing of writer M. M. Kalburgi.

“The Sahitya Akademi failed to rise up to the occasion. Belatedly, under pressure of so many writers returning their awards the Akademi saw wisdom and took the courage to state that it is an autonomous body and condemned

all forms of violence particularly against authors,” he said.

“The Sahitya Akademi passed a resolution and wrote a letter to us stating that there was no policy of taking back awards. But in action, it is yet to prove that it is exercising that autonomy,” he said.

Disappointed The writer said he is disappointed that some writers have relented and agreed to take back the awards they had returned.

“It saddens me that authors are taking back awards. I feel sad. But it is their choice, I didn’t ask them to give it up and I can’t ask them

100 files relating to Netaji Subhash Bose declassified The move came after Modi met the family members of Netaji in October last year and announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery

NEW DELHI: A hundred secret files, which could throw some light on the controversy over the disappearance of Subhash Chandra Bose, were made public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Netaji’s 119th birth anniversary on Saturday.

The 100 files comprise over 16,600 pages of historic documents, ranging from those of the British Raj to as late as 2013 (rpt 2013), an official said after the ceremony at the National Archives of India (NAI) here in which the Prime Minister declassified the secret papers.

Also present at the ceremony were members of the Bose family and Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma and Babul Supriyo when the files were thrown open for public view.

In addition to the 100 files, the NAI plans to release digital copies of a set of 25 declassified files on Bose in the public domain every month. NAI also opened a dedicated website to store all the declassified files related to Bose.

Modi and his ministerial col-

WEB PORTAL LAUNCHED: Prime Minister Narendra Modi after launching a web portal during the

release of digital copies of one of the 100 declassified files related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on his 119th birth anniversary, in New Delhi on Saturday. - PTI

‘Manner of disclosing Bose files by PM raises doubts’ NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday pitched for declassifying all files related to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, but said the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set about the task, raises doubts about his intentions.

“Congress has already said that it would like to see all files to be declassified because attempts are being made to raise a controversy and misguide people of the country through a mischievous political campaign”, party’s senior spokes-

leagues went around glancing at the declassified files, spending over half an hour at the National Archives. He also spoke to the members of the Bose family.

The move came after Modi met

man Anand Sharma claimed.

Sharma’s remarks came on a day when the Prime Minister made public digital copies of 100 secret files relating to Netaji on his 119th birth anniversary, which could throw some light on the controversy over his death.

“The way the PM has carried this out raises doubts about intentions of Modi government, the nation needs to understand this”, Sharma told reporters here dismissing suggestions by some of Ne-

the family members of Netaji in October last year and announced that the government would declassify the files relating to the leader whose disappearance 70 years ago remains a mystery.

taji’s relatives that Congress had always tried to suppress truth about Bose. He said the Congress does not want to enter into any debate with any distant relative of Bose.

“We respect what has been said by his own daughter. Netaji had only one daughter and what she has said is in public domain and the country must respect her sentiments because she has been anguished by this deliberately created mischief and controversy,” he claimed. - PTI

While two commissions of inquiry had concluded that Netaji had died in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, a third probe panel, headed by Justice M. K. Mukherjee, had contested it and

suggested that Bose was alive after that.

The controversy has also split members of the Bose family.

The first lot of 33 files were declassified by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and handed over to the NAI on December 4 last year.

Subsequently, the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs too initiated the process of declassification of files relating to Bose in their respective collection which were then transferred over to the NAI. Chandra Kumar Bose, spokesperson of the Bose family and grand-nephew of Subhash Chandra Bose who was present at the ceremony, said “we welcome this step by the Prime Minister wholeheartedly. This is a day of transparency in India.”

However, he also said “we feel that certain very important files were destroyed during the Congress regime in order to hide the truth. We have documentary evidence to understand this. So we feel that the Indian government should take steps to ensure the release of files lying in Russia, Germany, UK, USA.” He said from whatever documents “we could go through, there are only circumstantial evidence of the air crash but no conclusive evidence of the air crash.”

“Even in one of the letters that we saw here which was written

by Lal Bahadur Shastri to Suresh Bose that there is no conclusive evidence about the air crash, only few circumstantial evidence,” Chandra Bose said. Netaji’s nephew Ardhendu Bose, who also attended the ceremony, said “the Bose family and the entire country has been waiting for this moment for the last seven decades. We feel these files would be able to throw some light on it.”

Declassification of the 100 files by the central government came four months after West Bengal government had released 64 secret Netaji files kept in its police and state government lockers. - PTI

not to take it back,” he said.

Terming it as an “intolerance of excellence,” Vajpeyi said that individuals are being termed anti-national for not being in agreement with the government.

“There is an intolerance of excellence. You have all kinds of people who enjoy no respect among their peers heading national institutions. That has not disappeared.

“There is intolerance of minorities not merely of religion or faith but also of ideas and belief. If you say that you don’t agree with the government then you’re termed anti-national. All these levels of intolerance remain,” he said. -PTI M U LT I - C R O R E S C A N D A L

Kerala minister resigns over bribery scam KOCHI: Kerala Excise Minister K. Babu resigned on Saturday hours after a Thrissur court ordered the Vigilance department to register an FIR against him in the bar bribery scam.

He is the second minister to quit the Congress-led Ommen Chandy government after then finance minister K. M. Mani of Kerala Congress (M) resigned in November last over the multi-crore scandal, giving jitters to the UDF Government in Kerala ahead of the coming assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference here, Babu said he had handed over his resignation to Chief Minister Ommen Chandy and was quitting on moral grounds even though no FIR had been registered against him as of now.

Earlier in the day, the Vigilance Court in Thrissur directed the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a case against Babu over corruption charges against him in the scam.

Terming the Vigilance court verdict as “unnatural”, Babu said he would go ahead with legal proceedings to prove his innocence.

In an apparent reference to the liquor policy of the UDF government to close down more than 700 bar hotels as part of its prohibition plan, he described himself as a ‘martyr’ for implementing a government scheme for the welfare of the society.

He also claimed he was a ‘victim’ of conspiracy by bar owners who had incurred heavy loss and “who also got support of CPI(M).”

Babu alleged that some bar owners had met at the residence of a CPI(M) MLA’s house on the evening of December 15 in the “presence of CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan”.

“A conspiracy was hatched against me after over 730 bars were closed,” he said.

Working President of Kerala Bar Owners Association Biju Ramesh had alleged that Rs10 crore was given to Babu for renewal of licences of liquor bars. It was on his allegations that the Vigilance had filed a case against Mani. - PTI

RESEARCH SCHOLAR

Students say PM’s remarks on Rohith’s suicide ‘insulting’, vow to step up stir HYDERABAD: Terming as “insulting” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks over suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, agitating students of Hyderabad Central University on Saturday vowed to step up their stir and said the PM’s “inaction” reflected his “political interests”.

The students rejected an appeal

by Minister of state for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha who, on a visit to the city, asked them to call off their agitation and assured them of justice, a day after the Centre decided to set up a judicial commission to look into the suicide of Rohith following his suspension by the varsity.

Voicing “dissatisfaction” over remarks by Modi on Friday at a university in Lucknow, the Joint Action Council (JAC) spearheading the stir asked if the prime minister would now take action against his ministers.

Condolence statement “It is highly insulting to have received a condolence statement from Prime Minister Narenda Modi. He has referred to Rohith Vemula as Bharat Mata’s son.

Joint Action Committee for Social Justice condemns in the strongest

“...when there is news that a youth of my country, Rohith, was forced to commit suicide, what his family must have gone through.

Mother India has lost a son. There will be reasons, there will be politics (surrounding it) but the fact remains that a mother has lost her son. I feel the pain very well,” a visibly emotional Modi had said.

DEMANDING JUSTICE: Madhya Pradesh Congress Party workers hold a demonstration demanding

justice in the Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula’s suicide case, at Rajbhawan in Bhopal on Saturday. - PTI

possible words, the appropriation of Rohith’s politics,” the JAC said in a statement.

“Rohith Vemula and the other socially boycotted stood always against the Hindutva and Manuvadi politics which the BJP ministers proudly stand for,” it said.

“It is under the leadership of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Police brutally lathicharged the protesting students, male police officers manhandled women students and detained them. His complicity and inaction on the entire episode of events that unfolded in University of Hyderabad clearly reflects his political inter-

ests,” it alleged.

The outfit asked if Modi will “take action on the BJP ministers for the injustice meted out to Rohith Vemula and the other socially boycotted research scholars”.

Modi on Friday expressed grief over Rohith’s death saying he felt the pain.

Hunger strike Meanwhile, the hunger strike by seven students entered the fourth day on Saturday while their colleagues continued other forms of protests. G. Prabhakar, one of the fasting students, said they would like to continue with the fast even as doctors expressed concern over their health.

“We want to continue (fast). Our demands not yet fulfilled. They say (PM) Modi talked in Lucknow yesterday and a judicial committee is appointed and all. You appoint a judicial commission, no problem, but take action against people who actually caused this death,” he said. “(Vice Chancellor) Appa Rao, primary accused, dismiss from VC post. (Union Ministers) Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, who wrote letters to university, arrest them. Without arresting, these (ju-

dicial commission, etc) don’t give us confidence,” Prabhakar said.

The JAC said, “After killing Rohit, Appa Rao has put these lives (of fasting students) in danger.

JAC for Social Justice reiterates that students will intensify the ongoing struggle until all our five demands are met.”

The demands are removal of the VC, punishing those responsible for Rohith’s death, dropping the alleged false cases against students and unconditional revocation of their suspension, giving employment to a member of Rohith’s family and compensation of Rs5 million to his kin.

Kushwaha, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, said that based on the report of the judicial commission set up to look into the matter, the HRD ministry will take necessary steps.

“From the ministry, a two-member fact-finding committee looked into the matter and gave its report.

There were some shortcomings as per the report. Based on the report, a judicial commission was set up for further inquiry. The commission will do its work and give report in three months. Based on it, the ministry will take necessary steps,” he said. - PTI

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Ease of doing business a work in progress: FM

MAKING A POINT: India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, right, speaks as Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne sits next to him during a panel ‘The Global Economic Outlook’, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday. - PTI/AP

one of the few reforms that has been held up.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India’s ranking has improved on ease of doing business in the last one year, but more needs to be done on that front and necessary steps are being undertaken

DAVOS: Confident of pushing GDP growth higher and continuing the reforms agenda, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said one main reform which is still work in progress is ‘ease of doing business’ in India and steps are under way on that front.

Jaitley also said the political opposition is unlikely to obstruct the reform process, including on the direct and indirect tax reforms, and he was hopeful about the Goods and Services Tax(GST) getting through as well which is

Ranking improved He said India’s ranking has improved on ease of doing business in the last one year, but more needs to be done on that front and necessary steps are being undertaken.

Speaking here at ‘The Global Economic Outlook’ session on the last day of the WEF Annual Meeting, Jaitley said GST remains very high on the government’s priority while the new bankruptcy law is another major reform measure, going ahead.

The panellists said India remains a bright spot in the global economy with a growth rate of over 7 per cent, the highest for any large economy.

To a question on whether all was going well for India and whether there were at all any problems, Jaitley said there are “quite a lot” still and one of the basic problems remains that a large population still lives in poverty.

“To take them out of poverty, we need a sustained high level of growth for a long time. There is an increasing realisation in India that given some favourable conditions, we can grow at a much faster pace,” he said.

Besides global factors, Jaitley said, there have been two successive bad monsoons which have

hurt rural demand and therefore, the growth rate.

“On global situation, oil price has been quite helpful, but shrinkage of exports has been an adversity,” he said.

Jaitley said the government has taken a number of steps and some more are in the pipeline, including some legislative reforms.

“If we get through with that, we can grow at a much faster pace in coming years.”

Asked about his high priority areas, the finance minister said, “I think what is extremely important is that all steps that the government has taken have been in one direction. We have not made any mistake.

“States have also become very competitive and that is also a very good news for India.

“Also, it is only one or two legislation, including GST, that has been held up, but it is very high on our priority. The direct tax reforms we are undertaking should not have any problems. We are also hopeful of the indirect tax reform. Then, we have new bankruptcy law.

“One main reform which is still work in progress is ease of doing business in India. We did not have a great track record on that, but our rankings have improved there also. Still, it remains a work in progress and we will continue to take steps on that front,” he said. - PTI

BOOSTING TIES

Sushma Swaraj calls on Bahraini king, discusses bilateral relations

KEY PARLEYS: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj talks with His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, during a meeting in Bahrain on Saturday. - PTI

MANAMA: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday called on His Majesty Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, as they together watched India’s indigenouslydeveloped Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and Dhruv helicopters perform aerobatics at an international air show here.

Swaraj, who is here for a twoday visit to attend the first ministerial meeting of the India-Arab League Cooperation Forum on Sunday, was received at the Bahrain International airport by her Bahraini counterpart Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

In a break from tradition, the Bahraini king received her at the

Sakhir Airbase where the Bahrain International Air show was underway. King Hamad and Swaraj then together watched India’s Sarang Team with Dhruv helicopters and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas perform aerobatics.

On the sidelines of the air show, Swaraj and the King discussed an entire gamut of bilateral ties.

During their meeting, Swaraj recalled her visit to the country in 2014. Swaraj also visited the India pavilion at the air show where the scientists present gave the Minister a briefing on the Tejas LCA being showcased here.

The Tejas flight, the first at an international air show, was hailed by officials present here as a

“historic event”. The India-Arab League ministerial meeting on Sunday comes over a year after the two sides held their first Senior Officials Meeting in New Delhi in November 2014.

A number of issues from terrorism, security are expected to be discussed.

India and Arab League are expected to deliberate on the whole gamut of bilateral issues including trade and investment, energy and culture among others.

India’s trade with most of the Arab countries has grown steadily in the last few years.

The Gulf region accounts for over 60 per cent of India’s oil and gas requirement. - PTI

INDIA

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

PAKISTAN SPECIAL DRILLS

Russia and Pakistan to hold military exercises

GOING ROUND AND ROUND

Pakistani children ride on a swing in a slum area of Peshawar on Friday. — AFP

RAWALPINDI: Russian ground forces will hold the first ever military exercises with Pakistan in 2016, Russian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleg Salyukov announced here on Friday, according to TASS news agency.

“As part of interaction with our foreign colleagues in 2016, we have scheduled seven joint exercises with the involvement of the relevant units of foreign states.

The Army will hold the RussianVietnamese exercise and the first ever Russian-Pakistani special drills in mountainous terrain,” Salyukov said.

Further, he said that joint antiterror command and staff exercises of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will be held.

A meeting was held between the delegation which was led by Fomin Alexander Vasilyevich, Director of Federal Service for Military – Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at General Headquarters.

The focus of the discussion was on enhanced security and training cooperation measures to further expand joint military ties.

Vasilyevich acknowledged the achievements of Pakistan Army in its ongoing fight against terrorism and the measures taken for bringing regional peace and stability.

— Express Tribune

Five militants linked to varsity attack arrested At least 22 people were killed as terrorists armed with ammunition and bombs targeted Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, KhyberPakhtunkhwa on January 20

RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt General Asim Bajwa on Saturday said five of the terrorists and their facilitators involved in Charsadda attack have been caught and their identities ascertained.

At least 22 people were killed as terrorists armed with ammunition and bombs targeted Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on January 20.

“These five terrorists have been identified as Riaz, Noorullah, Adil, Zia and Ibrahim,” Bajwa said while addressing a press conference.

Afghanistan “While Omar commanded the militants from Afghanistan during the attack, Adil, who had earlier worked as a mason in Bacha Khan University, receded to provide information to the attackers.”

“A few days ago, Adil, a labourer,

VICTIMS OF TERROR: Relatives of 2014 Peshawar school attack victims meet with a student victim of Bacha Khan University at a hospital in Charsadda on Thursday. — AFP

The rebels entered Mardan area of KhyberPakhtunkhwa through Afghanistan’s Torkham border and stayed in two houses, Director General InterServices Public Relations Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa said

was doing some masonry work in the university, where he made a map of the campus which he could explain to the rest of the assailants,” Bajwa said, adding, “Adil is also the one who helped the attackers figure out their way into the university.”

Ameen Rehman has also been

identified as one of the terrorists and his credentials confirmed with NADRA, Bajwa maintained.

“They were provided with arms and ammunition from Darra Adam Khel area.”

Bajwa reiterated that phone calls were made from Afghanistan to carry out the attack.

Investigation is still underway to confirm financial resources of terrorists, he added.

Prior to the press conference, army chief General Raheel Sharif chaired a special meeting during a visit to corps headquarters in Peshawar and reviewed the progress of investigation.

The army chief was also apprised about the operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, K-P, intelligence based operations (IBOs) and PakistanAfghanistan border management.

The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Peshawar, operation commanders, director general Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), military intelligence (MI) military operations and ISPR. — Express Tribune

I M M E N S E D I F F I C U LT I E S

Dense fog disrupts air, ground traffic across country ISLAMABAD: As temperatures plummeted, thick fog blanketed Peshawar, Punjab and northern Sindh on Friday hampering outdoor activities, particularly traffic and prompting flights to be cancelled or diverted to alternative airports.

With visibility low during the night and early morning, flights from the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar and the Benazir International Airport in Rawalpindi suffered cancellations while those arriving at these airports were diverted to Lahore, causing immense difficulties for passengers.

In Rawalpindi, Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) Joint Director Public Relations Fariha Tahir said that due to low visibility in the early hours of the morning at the airport, flights had been diverted to Lahore which has been conducting landings in low visibility and foggy conditions thanks to its new Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT-III B facility.

“This facility is available on only two airports in South Asia (SA): one is in Lahore and the other is in New Delhi.”

She added that between 20-25 flights had been diverted to Lahore from Peshawar and Islamabad though normal service at the two airports had resumed after mid-day.

Despite the increased air traffic in Lahore, the Allama Iqbal International Airport there continued to work as per routine.

“Due to the newly installed instrument system, airplanes safely landed at the Lahore airport without any delays,” Kamran Malik, a spokesman for CAA said.

Motorists in Peshawar and in the twin cities were advised to exercise caution and to adopt safety

With visibility low during the night and early morning, flights from the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar and the Benazir International Airport in Rawalpindi suffered cancellations while those arriving at these airports were diverted to Lahore, causing immense difficulties for passengers measures to avert any mishap due to poor visibility conditions on the roads. According to the KhyberPakhtunkhwa meteorological department, visibility in Peshawar and its adjoining areas had dropped to just 15 metres and affected the flow of traffic.

But when visibility dropped to five meters, the motorway was closed for traffic. However, it was later reopened with special precautionary measures issued by the traffic police.

Several trains, which were due to arrive in Peshawar on Friday, were delayed by several hours including Khushal Express, Khyber Mail and Awami Express.

In Sindh, Nawabshah experienced fog on Friday morning between 6 to 9am. Sukkur experienced mist in between the night of Thursday and Friday from 2am till noon. — Express Tribune

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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Australia seeks regional cooperation against terror 14 attack in Jakarta that killed eight people and an August bombing in Bangkok that ripped through a popular shrine killing 20 people, most of them foreign tourists, have injected new urgency for regional counterterrorism efforts

ALERT: An Indonesian police officer holds a weapon as he stands guard inside Ratu Indah Mall in Makassar, South Sulawesi province, on

January 15, 2016. A deadly attack on January 14 in Jakarta killed eight people. - Reuters/Antara Foto file photo

Keenan, who is also CounterTerrorism Minister, said Australia stood ready to share its expertise with regional governments.

“If we can make those relationships stronger then we should seek to do so because this menace is going to be with us for some time and the more we can do to collaborate, to address it, the safer our people will be.”

Jakarta’s gun and bomb attack was claimed by IS, the extremist group’s first assault on Indonesia.

Keenan said Australia has updated its travel warning for In-

donesia but has not changed the threat level which remains to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

Jakarta has said it is working to stem the flow of Southeast Asian militants travelling to and from Syria and Iraq but police say the nation’s porous border makes it easy for people to be smuggled into Indonesia.

“We don’t want to change the open nature of our society.

We like the fact that this is a very busy region with people passing through,” said Keenan.

“That’s why intelligence is very

PAPER BOARDS FUN

Children play with paper boards at a kindergarten in Zouping, Shandong Province, China, on last Tuesday, picture released on Saturday. — Reuters/China Daily

T R A N S PAC I F I C PA R T N E R S H I P

Malaysian protesters rally against proposed trade pact KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians protested against plans to join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Saturday, just days before parliament is due to open a debate on the free trade pact.

Many of the demonstrators congregated in central Kuala Lumpur were from the opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which fears that the South East Asian country could lose control of its economy if it enters the 12-nation pact with the United States.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government has argued that Malaysia, which relies on exports of commodities, minerals and electronics, cannot afford to stay out of a trade zone whose participants account for 40 per cent of the global economy.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s parliamentary major-

HOSTILE ACT CHARGES

North Korea detained US student over hotel incident SEOUL: Otto Warmbier, the American university student being held

by North Korea, was detained before boarding his flight to China over an unspecified incident that had taken place earlier in the trip at his hotel, his travel company told Reuters on Saturday.

North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said on Friday that Warmbier “was caught committing a hostile act against the state”, which it said was “tolerated and manipulated by the US government”.

A deadly January

BANGKOK: Australia is seeking regional cooperation to fight the “menace” of violent extremism that will be with the region for some time, the country’s justice minister said on Saturday.

A deadly January 14 attack in Jakarta that killed eight people and an August bombing in Bangkok that ripped through a popular shrine killing 20 people, most of them foreign tourists, have injected new urgency for regional counter-terrorism efforts.

“The region is subject to the same threats as the globe is and that is there is a malignant organisation that has established itself in the Middle East, IS, and they continue to export terror around the globe,” Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan told Reuters in Bangkok during a visit with his Thai counterparts to discuss security issues.

A1 1

Opponents fear the pact would compromise national interests and favour foreign multinational companies

ity should ensure the pact gets approval, but Najib can ill-afford any increase in his unpopularity as he seeks to fend off a financial scandal at a state-owned fund.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing, and leaders of extremist

party PAS have been less critical than others over the controversy at the fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, and over how nearly $700 million came to be deposited into the prime minister’s personal account.

In a bid to reassure ethnic Malay action groups, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed has said affirmative action policies for the country’s ethnic majority would be safeguarded.

Critics have also argued that small and medium sized enterprises - providing 65 percent of jobs - will be among the worst hit if the trade deal were to take effect. “This is not a racial issue,” said Salahuddin Ayub, deputy president of Amanah, a party that splintered from PAS. ”When we talk about small and medium enterprises, everyone is affected.” — Reuters

important, sharing information about people who might be of concern,” he said.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pledged to increase cooperation on counter-terrorism and the fight against IS. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against extremist militants in Iraq and Syria, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown extremists.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister

Prawit Wongsuwan last week said Thailand has not found any evidence of IS extremist group activities in the country, following reports that IS sympathisers had crossed the Thai-Malaysia border to meet with southern religious leaders.

Since 2004, insurgents have been battling for greater autonomy in Thailand’s three Muslim dominated provinces where fighting between Thai security forces and Malay-Muslim separatists has killed more than 6,000 people.

— Reuters

Kept to himself Charlotte Guttridge, a tour leader at Young Pioneer Tours and the only outside witness to Warmbier’s detention, said the 21-year-old University of Virginia student was not with other tourists when the events that appear to have prompted his arrest occurred.

“What happened, happened at the hotel and my belief is that Otto kept it to himself out of hope it might go unnoticed,” Guttridge told Reuters.

Guttridge and colleagues at Young Pioneer Tours declined to share further details of exactly what had taken place, citing the safety of their client.

Warmbier had been staying at the Yanggakdo International Hotel when the incident that led to his arrest occurred.

China-based Young Pioneer Tours is a North Korea travel specialist that describes itself on its website as “an adventure tour operator that provides ‘budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from’”.

During his five-day New Year’s tour of North Korea, staff at Young Pioneer Tours said Warmbier had acted normally, and was keen to see daily life in one of the world’s most isolated countries, which is visited by around 6,000 Western tourists a year. Ten other US citizens were on the tour. — Reuters

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READERS’ FORUM Decision to increase salaries of government employees in Kerala has been taken with the elections in mind This refers to the report on the decision taken by the government of Kerala to increase salaries and benefits to employees and teachers in the state. I wonder from where the government can find Rs7,222 crore to compensate the additional expenses. The decision is unethical in the present global scenario, as economies all over the world are being forced to take austerity measures to reduce the expenses. Kerala government decision clearly targets the middle class community.

The government must think twice before Scan this QR code taking such drastic steps, especially when to send letters to the it comes to creating additional expenses Readers’ Forum, for the Indian state. Since Kerala is a state containing not more than 200 words with where not much of industry flourishes, and full name, address there’s no proper and regular income to and telephone compensate the overall expenditure, and number, may be sent it’s only the remittances from the overseas by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com). workers that the state banks upon, it should desist from such poll promises. In recent times, corruption has become rampant at all the levels, and there has been no justification to this hike in salaries and benefits for teachers and other government employees, who hardly value the state’s welfare. It’s a very unfortunate decision by the government and is only intended to benefit it politically in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

— Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

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“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Rise in inequality hits Davos forum

BJØRN LOMBORG

Africa is the world’s most “renewable” continent when it comes to energy. In the rich world, renewables account for less than a tenth of total energy supplies. The 900 million people of Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) get 80 per cent of their energy from renewables. bit.ly/africafossilfuels

S

ixty-two. That is how many of the world’s wealthiest people own as much as the poorest 3.6 billion, down from 388 people in 2010.

This shocking figure has made the rounds at this week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, as political and business leaders debate how to improve the state of the global economy. The question is whether the global elite attending Davos will take action to combat damagingly high (and growing) economic inequality.

World leaders have been worried about the rise in inequality for several years now; last September, they agreed to a Global Goal to reduce it. Yet the gap between the richest and the rest has continued to grow. This time last year, Oxfam predicted that the wealth of the top 1 per cent would overtake that of the rest of the population by 2016; that milestone was reached two months ahead of schedule.

The longer we wait to take action, the more serious the consequences will be. Economic inequality is a corrosive force that undermines economic growth, hampers the fight against poverty, and sparks social unrest. In 2012, the WEF’s global risk report highlighted severe income inequality as the single greatest threat to social and political stability. Oxfam estimates that, without strong efforts to tackle inequality, the much-heralded goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030 will be impossible to reach.The very real damage inequality does to people’s lives is evident across the globe. For example, garment workers in Myanmar told Oxfam that, even with overtime, they could not afford housing, food, and medicine. At the other end of the retail chain, the CEO’s of the clothing companies enjoy multimillion-dollar pay deals.

As World Bank President Jim Yong Kim noted last year, wealth is not trickling down; it is being sucked up by a powerful – and very small – minority. And this is not a blip; it is hard-wired into our economies. Today’s global inequality crisis is the result of 30 years of unchecked deregulation, privatization, financial secrecy, and globalization.

Large companies and wealthy individuals use their power and influence to capture and retain an ever-increasing share of the benefits of economic growth, while the poorest get by on a persistently shrinking piece of the pie. Over the last five years, the wealth of those richest 62 people on the planet

has increased by a staggering $542 billion, or 44 per cent, while the poorest 3.6 billion people have lost over a trillion dollars, or 41 per cent of their wealth. In this context, tackling inequality will require fundamental changes to the way we manage our economies. Action must be taken to ensure that all workers receive a living wage; more progressive tax systems must be introduced; governments must increase spending on public services; policymaking must be more transparent; and financial regulations must be strengthened.

One particularly urgent step must be the elimination of tax havens. By allowing super-wealthy corporations and individuals to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, tax havens are denying governments revenue that could and should be spent on schools, health care, and other essential services.

Almost a third of all African financial wealth – a total of $500 billion – was held offshore in tax havens in 2014, costing African countries an estimated $14 billion per year in lost tax revenues.

This is enough money to pay for health care that could save the lives of four million children on the continent and employ enough teachers to get every African child into school.

G-20 governments agreed on steps to curb tax dodging by multinational companies last year. But these measures largely ignore the problems posed by tax havens, and do little to help poor countries claim their fair share of taxes. With tax havens becoming an ever more common way of doing business – 109 of the WEF’s 118 partners have a presence in at least one tax haven – it’s time to put a stop to this practice.That is why I am pressing political leaders, CEOs, and other participants at Davos this year to act. I’m asking wealthy individuals and business leaders to commit to bringing their money back onshore, and I will urge politicians to work together to agree on a robust new global approach to end the era of tax havens.

After years of talk about income inequality, the WEF’s annual meeting should be a moment for action. Participants must recognize that helping the poorest get a foot on the ladder also means stopping the extremely wealthy from pulling it up behind them. If the men and women in Davos take strong action to address tax havens, 2016 can be a turning point, when we begin to create a new global economy that works for the majority – not just the top 62. - Project Syndicate

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JANUARY 2001 Regional forum on social security, pension begins MUSCAT: Sayyid Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidi, president of the State Audit Institution, opened the fifth regional forum on social security and pensions at the Grand Hayatt Muscat Hotel, here yesterday.

The two-day forum has been organised by the Public Authority for Social Insurance (Pasi) in cooperation with the Mahanna Foundation and the British Actuaries Association. In his opening speech, Busaidi said the Omani government had recognised from the beginning of the Renaissance that human beings were both the means and the end of the development process. Consequently, it had instituted a range of social schemes including social insurance and pensions with the aim of providing protection for citizens and their families.

TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS We invite our readers to write articles on topics related to Oman. The articles should not exceed 800 words.

Send us your article along with your picture to akhtar@timesofoman.com

PICTOGRAPH

ROAD ACCIDENTS Oman. From September to November, 2015

September

539

October

Accidents 432

308

1982: A draft of Air Force history reports that the United States secretly sprayed herbicides on Laos during the Vietnam War.

424

Injuries 268 211

1915: The German cruiser Blücher is sunk by a British squadron in the Battle of Dogger Bank.

1965: Winston Churchill dies from a cerebral thrombosis at the age of 90.

November

Deaths 54

60

62

0

Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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WORLD I D E N T I T Y PA P E R S

GUN CONTROL CAMPAIGN IN US

A woman boards a bus in Los Angeles, United States, on Friday. A public awareness campaign, which debuted this week on some city buses, shows a young boy pointing a handgun as if it were a toy, in an effort to remind residents about a city law, adopted last year, which requires guns be disabled or stored in a locked container when kept at home. The ad reads: ‘Never let your gun get in the wrong hands’. — AFP

1.5m Niger voters barred from casting ballots in polls NIAMEY: Nearly a quarter of voters in Niger — 1.5 million people — will be barred from casting their ballots in next month’s presidential poll, the government said, after politicians failed to agree on a system to register them.

Tensions were already running high in the unstable West African state which is a key Western ally in the fight against extremist militants across the Sahel region.

There was no immediate reaction from rights groups who regularly accuse the government of crackdowns on the opposition, or from electoral officials.

Around 1.5 million of Niger’s registered voters lack the documentation required to prove their identity, and the Independent National Electoral Commission had proposed a system whereby witnesses could vouch for them.

But politicians failed to approve it at a meeting on Friday.

“There was no consensus among the political class and therefore 1.5 million Nigeriens cannot exercise their right to vote on 21 February,” Alkassoum Indatou, spokesman for the presidential majority, said on state TV on Friday night.

The main opposition parties issued a statement confirming the impasse, without going into further details. — Reuters

NO INJURIES

Nuclear missile damaged by US airmen WASHINGTON: Maintenance errors by three US airmen damaged a nuclear-armed missile in its silo in Colorado in 2014, triggering an accident investigation, the Air Force said on Friday.

The accident occurred in May 2014, to a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile assigned to the 90th Missile Wing in northern Colorado, the Air Force said in a statement.

The Associated Press first reported the incident.

The missile was damaged while the airmen were troubleshooting a problem with a diagnostic test, the Air Force said.

“The incident did not result in any injuries, prevent the Air Force from meeting its ICBM requirements, or create a hazard to public safety,” the Air Force said.

An investigation found that the maintenance team chief did not follow the technical guidance, the Air Force said.

The team chief and two of his airmen were decertified but returned to duty after being retrained and certified, the statement said. — Reuters

Taliban seek removal from UN blacklist before talks Activists, former Afghan officials and Taliban representatives arrived at a hotel in Doha on Saturday, for a two-day meeting organised by a Nobel peace prize-winning

CONFLICT ZONE: Afghan police and security personnel inspect the

crisis group, to

scene of a suicide attack on a bus that was transporting employees of the attorney general’s office in Kabul on May 4, 2015. — AFP file photo

resolve the war

DOHA: Afghanistan’s Taliban want to be removed from a UN blacklist before considering rejoining peace talks aimed at ending a 15-year civil war, a senior member said, as its political wing met activists at an unofficial forum in Qatar.

After months of worsening fighting, with the province of Helmand slipping out of government control and frequent suicide bombings in the capital, Afghanistan and its neighbours are trying to get troubled negotiations back on track.

Prospects of the Taliban, an increasingly strong presence on the battlefield since the withdrawal of most international troops in

FREEING POLITICAL PRISONERS

Cameron vows to pressure Maldives over Nasheed LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged on Saturday to apply pressure on the Maldives to improve the rule of law and free political prisoners after meeting the country’s former president after his temporary release from jail.

Mohamed Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democratically elected president and his lawyer Amal Clooney met Cameron at Downing Street in London on Saturday after the former president gained permission to travel to Britain for surgery.

Mohamed Nasheed

Cameron thanked The Maldives gained independence from the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

“Following his release from prison, Mr Nasheed thanked the prime minister for the role the UK had played by continuing to raise his case, including with other countries,” a statement from Cameron’s office said.

Downing Street said the two

men had agreed that a Commonwealth meeting to be held in the Maldives next month would provide an opportunity to press the Maldivian government to engage in “open political dialogue and free all remaining political prisoners swiftly”.

Mohamed Nasheed is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism charges for the alleged abduction of a judge after a rapid trial last March which drew international criticism

“The Prime Minister told Mr Nasheed that the UK would continue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners,” it said. — Reuters

2014, joining any talks had appeared slim.

But a Taliban member said that the group could participate if the UN Security Council cancelled a resolution freezing assets and limiting travel of senior figures.

“We conveyed them to first remove us from the blacklist of the United Nations and allow us to freely travel around the world

and then we can think about holding peace talks,” said the Taliban member, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan hosted the first formal talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in July 2015 but a second round was canceled after it emerged that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Mullah, who sanctioned the talks, had been dead for two years.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have since deteriorated amid an upswing in fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces. On Saturday morning, activists, former Afghan officials and Taliban representatives arrived at a hotel in downtown Doha for a two-day meeting on resolving the war organised by Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a Nobel peace prize-winning crisis group.

“The meeting is providing us an opportunity to express our views about the future of Afghanistan,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban which is itself riven by factional infighting.

The Afghan government did not send any serving officials but an adviser to the president, Malalai Shinwari, and the country’s

former interior minister, Umer Daudzai, were present.

Anwar Ahady, a former minister of finance taking part in the Doha talks, said the Taliban had not yet shown any willingness to engage in direct talks. “So far they have not proposed any concrete ideas about how to move forward.

Hopefully by tomorrow we will know if they want peace and if so what their conditions are,” Ahady told Reuters.

Even if the Taliban were to join the peace talks, those present would only represent part of the extremist militant movement fighting to topple the government in Kabul and restore it’s rule in place before it was ousted in 2001. Leadership divisions could also impede progress, with some militant factions, such as a splinter group led by Mullah Mohammad Rasool Akhund, refusing to take part.

In 2010 Afghanistan said the United Nations had agreed to remove some Taliban members who renounced ties to Al Qaeda from the UN blacklist on a “gradual” basis to try and help Afghan efforts to engage some insurgents in talks.

The Afghan government submitted a list of 20 names and five were removed from the list. — Reuters

A 14

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

WORLD

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Poles rally over fears of ‘illiberal democracy’ Waving Polish and European Union flags, the protesters demanded that the ruling Law and Justice party withdraw its planned changes to the surveillance law

ALARMED: People take part in an anti-government rally in War-

saw, Poland, on Saturday. — Reuters

WARSAW: Thousands of Poles marched through Warsaw on Saturday to protests against their new conservative government’s plan to increase its surveillance powers, with some saying they feared Poland was following Hungary towards an “illiberal democracy.”

Since Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party took power in November, its moves to take more control of the judiciary and the media have divided Poland and raised

alarm bells in the Europe Union, which has started investigating charges that Warsaw is undermining democratic principles.

Waving Polish and European Union flags, the protesters demanded that the Law and Justice party withdraw its planned changes to the surveillance law.

“You’re supposed to listen, not listen in,” read one of the banners.

The proposed changes would expand the government’s access

to digital data and loosen the legal framework of using surveillance in law enforcement.

The ruling party, which scored a landmark election victory in October, says it has to swiftly amend the bill in order to implement a constitutional court ruling.

“Our privacy, intimacy is under threat, we can be followed, watched over both in our homes, and online,” Mateusz Kijowski, one of the organisers, told the pro-

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CHINA COLD SNAP

Ice covers a window pane of a house in Binzhou, east China’s Shandong province on Saturday. Much of China shivered as a teeth-chattering cold snap broke decades-old records and snow fell in some parts for the first time in years, cancelling flights and forcing many indoors. — AFP

testers, who were peaceful.

There were no figures available on the size of the crowd.

Critics say Poland’s new government is emulating Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in trying to impose its political agenda by undermining democratic checks and balances and limiting democratic freedoms.

Orban has locked horns with Hungary’s European partners for years, most recently over his hard line on the refugee crisis, one that PiS’ leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has also embraced, at one point warning refugees could bring “parasites” into Europe.

Orban has also packed Hungary’s constitutional court with candidates backed by his party Fidesz since 2010.

Kaczynski’s overhaul of Poland’s top court provoked mass protests and a strong backlash from the opposition. It also attracted condemnation from the European Union.

Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told EU lawmakers that her government had not breached European or Polish laws with its changes to the constitutional court and by putting public media under its direct control. — Reuters INDEPENDENT CANDIDACY

New York’s former mayor Bloomberg may launch US presidential bid WASHINGTON: Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York city, has told his aides to draw up plans for an independent campaign for the US presidency, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Bloomberg has advised friends and associates that he would be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his own money on a campaign for the November 2016 election, the Times said, citing sources briefed on the former mayor’s thinking.

Bloomberg, 73, has given himself an early March deadline for entering the race, the Times reported, after commissioning a poll in December to see how he would fare against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Republican and Democratic frontrunners. No independent has ever won a US presidential election.

But Bloomberg, who has close Wall Street ties and liberal social views, sees an opening for his candidacy if Republicans nominate Trump or Texas Senator Ted Cruz and the Democrats nominate Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the Times said.

Bloomberg, who has long privately flirted with the idea of mounting a presidential run, served as mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013.

He switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent in 2007 and in recent years has spent millions on national campaigns to tighten US gun laws and reform immigration.

Result-oriented vision One anonymous Bloomberg adviser told the Times the former mayor believes voters want “a non-ideological, bipartisan, results-oriented vision” that has not been offered in the 2016 election cycle by either political party.

Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg sees an opening for his candidacy if Republicans nominate Donald Trump or Ted Cruz and Democrats nominate Bernie Sanders, ‘New York Times’ said

A well-financed presidential run by Bloomberg would likely disrupt the dynamics of the election, but the billionaire would face significant hurdles in a race that has been in full swing for nearly a year. Though no thirdparty candidate has ever claimed the White House, several previous bids have affected the overall makeup of the race.

In 1992 Texas businessman Ross Perot ran as an independent, a decision that some believe helped Democrat Bill Clinton defeat incumbent Republican George H. W.Bush. — Reuters

GROUP OF SURGEONS

Sri Lanka probing human kidney racket COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into allegations that a group of surgeons ran a racket trading human kidneys, the health ministry said on Saturday, two days after the authorities banned all kidney transplant surgery for foreigners.

The health ministry has appointed a committee of five ex-

perts to run the investigation, it said in a statement.

Trading in human organs in illegal in Sri Lanka.

On Thursday, Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said all kidney transplant surgery performed on foreigners had been suspended until an inquiry was completed. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

A1 5

WORLD Six die as blizzard disrupts life along US east coast At least 10 states declared weather emergencies, aiming to get a handle on highways made impassable by the drifting snow and to shore up coastal areas where the blizzard conditions raised the danger of flooding SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

ARTICLE, PHOTOS W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: A winter storm dumped nearly 2 feet (58 cm) of snow on the suburbs of Washington, DC, on Saturday before moving on to Philadelphia and New York, paralysing road, rail and airline travel along the US East Coast.

At least 10 states declared weather emergencies, aiming to get a handle on highways made impassable by the drifting snow and to shore up coastal areas where the blizzard conditions raised the danger of flooding.

High winds battered the region, reaching 70 miles per hour in Wallops Island, Virginia, late on Friday, said meteorologist Greg Gallina of the National Weather Service. High tides washed through the streets of Jersey

BITING COLD: A man and his two-year-old son shovel snow during a snowstorm in Washington on Saturday. A deadly blizzard with

bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US on Saturday, as officials urged millions in the storm’s path to seek shelter — warning the worst is yet to come. - AFP

Shore towns, mixing with snow and pooling in driveways, televised images showed.

Video footage on CNN showed water pouring into downtown Margate, New Jersey, near Atlantic City, an area still recovering from Superstorm Sandy three years ago. The heaviest snow was engulfing New York City on Saturday but was expected to ease by early afternoon, though not end until Sunday.

At least six people were killed in car crashes due to icy roads in North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The worst appeared to be over for Washington, although mod-

erate snow was expected to keep falling until late Saturday, with the deepest accumulation of 23 inches recorded in Poolesville, Maryland, north of the nation’s capital.

“Records are getting close — we’re getting into the top five storms,” Gallina said.

Record storms The record high of 28 inches of snow in the nation’s capital was set in 1922 and the deepest recent snowfall was 17.8 inches in 2010.

Many stores were left with bare shelves as residents stocked up on food, water and beverages, preparing to spend the weekend indoors.

The governors of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Delaware, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the mayor of Washington, declared states of emergency. Officials warned people not to drive. The storm developed along the Gulf Coast, dropping snow over Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky on Friday.

On the East Coast, warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean collided with cold air to form the massive winter system, meteorologists said. The storm was forecast to move offshore in southern New England early next week.

Philadelphia and New York were

expected to get up to 18 inches of snow before the storm abated.

Low-lying areas of New York and New Jersey might see flooding during high tides on Saturday and Sunday, officials said.

More than 4,200 US flights were cancelled on Saturday, most of them at airports in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, according to tracking website Flight Aware.com.

Amtrak modified service on train routes along its busy Northeast Corridor and New Jersey Transit shut all bus, rail and light rail service early on Saturday and said it would restore service as “conditions permit.” - Reuters

M I G R AT I O N C R I S I S

‘Germany wants extension of Schengen border controls’ BERLIN: A group of European Union countries including Germany is pushing for an extension of border controls in the Schengen free-travel zone to help cope with Europe’s migration crisis, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported.

In a pre-released story, the Sunday newspaper said Austria, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark were also among those pressing for the extension of the checks on selected Schengen borders.

The initiative will be discussed at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Amsterdam on Monday, the paper reported.

If successful, it would allow Germany to prolong its border controls, due to lapse in May, for a further 1-1/2 years.

More than one million people arrived in Europe last year, mostly fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and north Africa, and the numbers show little sign of falling.

Six Schengen members, including Germany and four other EU countries, have reinstated temporary border checks in the passportfree area.

The 26-nation Schengen free travel area, a centrepiece of European integration, is under pressure from the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees trying to reach the most prosperous EU member states.

Many first arrive in Greece.

Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner threatened Greece with suspension from the free-travel zone if it fails to do more to control immigration, a suggestion other EU governments, notably in Eastern Europe, have also made.

“If the government in Athens does not finally do more to secure the outer borders, then we will have to openly discuss a temporary expulsion of Greece from the Schengen area,” she told Welt am Sonntag. “It is a myth that the Greek-Turkish border cannot be controlled.” - Reuters

A16

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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Iran, China set to increase trade to $600b in 10 years

M O N T H - L O N G H O L I D AY

Iran and China Robert Mugabe

signed 17 accords on

Mugabe back home after rumours of heart attack

Saturday, including on cooperation in nuclear energy and a revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route, known in China as One Belt, One Road

DUBAI: Iran and China agreed to expand bilateral ties and increase trade to $600 billion in the next 10 years, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday during a visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi is the second leader of a UNSecurity Council member to visit Tehran after the nuclear deal Iran struck with world powers last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran in November.

Iran emerged from years of economic isolation this month when the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog ruled it had curbed its nuclear programme, clearing the way for the lifting of UN, US, and European Union sanctions.

“Iran and China have agreed to increase trade to $600 billion in the next 10 years,” Rouhani said at a news conference with Xi broadcast live on state television.

“Iran and China have agreed on forming strategic relations (as) reflected in a 25-year comprehen-

CEMENTING TIES: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, is seen in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Saturday. — AFP/KHAMENEI.IR

sive document,” he said.

Iran and China signed 17 accords on Saturday, including on cooperation in nuclear energy and a revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route, known in China as One Belt, One Road.

“China is still heavily dependent on Iran for its energy imports and Russia needs Iran in terms

of its new security architecture vision for the Middle East,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Iran plays quite an integral role for both China and Russia’s interests within the region, much more than it does for the Europeans,” Geranmayeh said.

Xi was quoted as saying by Chi-

na’s Xinhua news agency: “The China-Iran friendship...has stood the test of the vicissitudes of the international landscape.”

The Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Saturday that China hoped to improve ties with Iran as part of its sweeping plan to rebuild trade links with Europe and Asia

and carve out new markets for its goods. “China is of course considering its self interest in strengthening cooperation with Iran, especially at a time when China is in the midst of expending efforts to push forward the One Belt, One Road initiative, Iran is an important fulcrum,” the paper said.

— Reuters

HARARE: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned home late on Friday after a monthlong holiday in the Far East, just over a week after the presidency dismissed rumours that Africa’s oldest president had suffered a heart attack and collapsed.

Mugabe, who turns 92 on February 21, is the only leader that the Southern African nation has ever known, and his health is being closely watched in and outside his ruling party, ZANU-PF. The party is deeply divided over who will eventually succeed him.

The president was shown on the state television network, ZBC, arriving with his wife Grace and several security aides at Harare Airport, where he was met by one of his vice presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa, cabinet ministers and security chiefs. Mugabe did not speak to journalists from ZBC or the state-owned press.

Fit as a fiddle Reports about the declining health of Mugabe, who is showing signs of his advancing age, are common, but he likes to describe himself as “fit as a fiddle.” — Reuters

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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‘Occidental has no plans to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar’ The US-based oil and gas firm never planned to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, the three GCC countries where the company has operations, Occidental chief executive officer Vicki Hollub said

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Global energy giant Occidental Petroleum Corporation is not planning to divest its assets in Oman and other two Gulf countries, said the company’s chief executive officer.

The US-based oil and gas firm never planned to exit Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar — three GCC

countries where the company has operations.

“There were some discussions in the media about selling our working interests in these countries. We don’t want to do that either because these countries provide us cash flows,” Occidental chief executive officer Vicki Hollub, told Times of Oman in an exclusive interview. “These are important part of our business

and part of our future (plan). We want to continue our operations in these areas.”

The US company, according to media reports, has a substantial portfolio of hydrocarbon assets in the Sultanate, which include Mukhaizna oil block. Occidental, which has been operating in Oman for more than three decades, is the single largest independent oil producer.

The Occidental chief said that almost two-and-a-half years ago her company’s chief executive officer started an initiative to look at all of its activities across the globe to give priority for refocusing on core business activity. “In the Middle East, our core areas are Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.” “(However) we are exiting or attempting to exit from Iraq, Libya and Yemen. We have gone through a process established with the government for an exit process in Iraq, which is in process now. In

CENTRAL BANK OF OMAN REPORT

Oman’s nominal GDP falls 14.2% in first half of 2015 MUSCAT: Oman’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) fell 14.2 per cent during the first half of 2015, compared to the same period last year, due to lower crude oil prices in global markets and subdued global growth, according to the monthly report issued by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).

The petroleum sector (in GDP) declined substantially, by 38.2 per cent, while the non-oil sector witnessed a modest growth of 3.7 per cent. Oman’s fiscal balance also shifted from surplus to deficit during the period, in the wake of the significant drop in crude oil prices. Also, inflation continued its downward trend, with the average consumer price index (CPI) for the Sultanate at a mere 0.08 per cent during January-November 2015, over the corresponding period in 2014.

Further, the current account balance also recorded a deficit during the first two quarters of 2015. However, the growth of monetary aggregates in the Sultanate continued its rising pattern, despite the decline in crude oil prices, which commenced in the second half of 2014.

The CBO report also pointed out that the total assets of conventional commercial banks increased by 15.1 per cent to OMR28.5 billion in November 2015, from OMR24.7 billion a year ago. Of these total assets, credit disbursements accounted for 64.6 per cent and increased by 9.3 per cent at the end of November 2015 to OMR18.4 billion. Credit to the private sector increased by 10.3 per cent to reach OMR16.2 billion at the end of November 2015. Of the total credit issued to the private sector as of the end of November 2015, the share of the non-financial corporate sector stood at 46.8 per cent, closely followed by the household sector (mainly under personal loans) at 45.3 per cent, financial corporations at 5.4 per cent and other sectors making up the remaining 2.5 per cent.

The CBO report also added that commercial banks’ overall invest-

VITAL RESOURCE: Petroleum sector (in GDP) declined by 38.2%,

while the non-oil sector saw a modest growth of 3.7%. — ONA

ments in securities increased by 3.4 per cent to OMR2.9 billion, at the end of November 2015, from OMR2.8 billion a year ago.

Further, investment in Government Development Bonds increased 79 per cent over the year to OMR831.5 million at the end of November 2015. Banks also invested OMR425.3 million in Government Treasury Bills by the end of November 2015. Commercial bank investments in foreign securities stood at OMR776.4 million in November 2015, registering an increase of 10.2 per cent over the year. The CBO report also pointed out that aggregate deposits held with conventional banks registered an increase of 3.9 per cent to OMR18 billion in November 2015, from OMR17.3 billion a year ago. Government deposits with conventional banks increased by 0.8 per cent to OMR5.1 billion.

Deposits of public enterprises increased by 17.6 per cent to OMR1.1 billion during the same period. Private sector deposits, which constituted 64.7 per cent of total deposits with conventional banks, increased by 4.3 per cent to OMR11.6 billion in November 2015 from OMR11.2 billion a year ago. Sector-wise, the share of households was 50.3 per cent of the total private sector deposit base, followed by nonfinancial corporations at 28.1 per cent, financial corporations at 18.8 per cent and other sectors at 2.8 per cent.

The CBO report added that Is-

lamic banking entities provided financing of OMR1.64 billion through November 2015, when compared to OMR1 billion a year ago. Total deposits held with Islamic banks and windows also registered a significant increase, to OMR1.5 billion in November 2015 from OMR0.5 billion outstanding at the end of November 2014. The total assets of Islamic banks and windows combined amounted to OMR2.2 billion, as of the end of November 2015, which constituted some 7.1 per cent of banking system assets.

The CBO report also said that the combined balance sheet of conventional and Islamic banks (other depository corporations) provides a complete overview of the financial intermediation taking place in the banking system in the Sultanate. The total outstanding credit extended by the other depository corporations stood at OMR20 billion, as of the end of November 2015, a rise of 12.5 per cent over the level witnessed a year ago. Total deposits also registered a significant growth of 9.2 per cent to OMR19.5 billion as of the end of November 2015.

Through November 2015, narrow money stock (M1), when measured on a year-on-year basis, grew by 9.6 per cent to OMR5.4 billion. This rise was a result of an increase in currency with the public by 11.9 per cent, coupled with an increase in Omani Rial designated demand deposits of 8.9 per cent. — ONA

Vicki Hollub. — Picture by Jun Estrada/ Times of Oman

Yemen, some contracts are expiring. And we expect to be able to exit by the end of the year from Yemen.

And in Libya, we have ceased our capital investments. Now we are maintaining operations as we go through a process of establishing

an exit strategy for Libya,” elaborated Hollub, who was on a short visit to Oman.

Hollub also said that her company, in coordination with its partner Oman Oil Company and the Ministry of Oil and Gas, is working on ways to do things more efficiently and differently to bring down costs at a time oil prices have touched a 12-year low.

“In Oman, we have a variety of potential projects to do. We will be continuing our activity levels one sort or another,” she explained.

Hollub said that the company has already invested over the years for drilling wells and creating other facilities. “Over the past few years, we have installed bulk of the facilities. So, a lot of our facility construction is behind us.”

“So, currently in Mukhaizna and northern Oman, our cash cost for operation is such that we can continue to produce with (the current) low oil prices,” added Hollub.

Asked whether the company plans to retrench workers in Oman due to sluggish oil prices, she said; “At this point, we do not expect a significant impact on our employees. In the United States, we have re-deployed engineers and scientists to the fields in place of contractors’ (employees), which give them a broader experience and improve activities because of the fact that these employees are more committed to add value for the company.” Occidental also introduced early retirement plan for their employees in the United States.

“Our people resources are important to us. So, over the course of time, what we are doing is developing our employees, enabling them to do a variety of jobs.”

As many as 84 per cent of the company’s workforce in the Sultanate are Omanis, while more than 70 per cent if its management team is constituted by locals.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

MARKET GLOBAL BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Bank Dhofar named Oman’s Best SME Bank Times News Service

Hussain Ali Al Lawati.– Supplied photo

MUSCAT: BankDhofar has been named ‘Best SME Bank in Oman’ by the London-based Global Business Outlook.

The awards are an independent programme that is marketed and administered by ‘Business Media Outlook’. It aims to recognise business excellence across all sectors and reward organisations that perform exceptionally well and stand out in their respective area of business.

BRIEFS

Gulf Plastic Industries offers to buy back shares MUSCAT: Majority shareholders of Gulf Plastic Industries have offered to buy back shares of minority shareholders (those who own 500 shares of less) at OMR2.350 per share, the company said in a filing to the Muscat Securities Market. This is done to convert the company from SAOG to SAOC. Those wishing to sell their shares should contact the Investment Management Group of the Oman Arab Bank, it said.

Hussain Ali Al Lawati, assistant general manager and head of Business Banking at BankDhofar hailed the bank’s continuous efforts and ongoing commitment to support its small and medium enterprises (SME) customers across Oman.

“Our strategic plan is to support Omani entrepreneurs and to contribute to the growth and development of the SME sector in the Sultanate by understanding their requirements and meeting their needs. The SME sector’s require-

Dedicated department With the growing importance of small and medium enterprises to the development of the vibrant Omani economy, BankDhofar has embarked on a number of strategic initiatives to participate in further

Barclays Bank award recognised Omani

MUSCAT: Board of directors of Oman Cables Industry has recommended a cash dividend of OMR0.090 per to be approved by the shareholders at the annual general meeting, the company said in a stock market filing. The board at its meeting on January 20, has approved the audited financial statements for the year ended December 2015 and has recommended for approval to the shareholders at the annual general meeting. The company’s net profit OMR18.5 million in 2015 compared to OMR 17.7 in 2014, a increase of 4.5 per cent. - Sales in 2015 declined by 6 per cent at OMR283.5 million compared to OMR303.1 million in 2014.

excellence in the

MUSCAT: Oman Oil Marketing Company recorded a net profit of OMR12.21 million for the year ended December 2015, compared to OMR11.21 million in the same period last year, a rise of 9 per cent, the company said in a statement posted on the Muscat Securities Market website. The revenue rose 3 per cent in 2015 at OMR368.15 million a against OMR357.13 million in 2014, according to preliminary unaudited results. Earnings per share was 189 baisas compared to 174 baisas in 2014.- Times News Service

BankDhofar we aspire to be the best bank for customers across Oman, and will continue to offer innovative products and unique services that meet the needs of our customers,” he added.

development of SME sector in the Sultanate. The bank has a dedicated Business Banking Department whose sole function is to cater to the needs and requirements of entrepreneurs and SME owners.

“In order to serve our customers in the best possible way, we observe the market and study the business trends that impact this sector, which helps us customise our products and services to fulfil the needs and requirements of SMEs,” Al Lawati noted.

Bank Muscat wins Barclays STP award

Oman Cables Industry board recommends cash dividend

Oman Oil Marketing profit rises

ments are very specific in nature and are different from other corporate and retail customers. Our team of skilled and experienced account managers understand the specific business needs of this sector and they are dedicated to provide timely and adequate services delivery to our SME customers,” Lawati said.

“It gives us great pleasure to start the year with such prestigious recognition from a highly esteemed global organisation. At

bank’s operational

field of British pound payments processing

Times News Service MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, has won a prestigious straight through processing (STP) award from Barclays Bank in recognition of operational excellence in the field of British pound (GBP) payments processing.

The award recognised the bank’s exceptional quality of SWIFT messages on GBP payment, mainTECHNOLOGY EXPO

Comex 2016 from April 12 MUSCAT: Comex 2016, the 26th edition of the IT, telecom, technology exhibition and conference, will start on April 12 at Oman International Exhibition Centre. The five-day event is organised by Oman International Trade and Exhibitions.

The expo will include a pavilion on broadband and optical fibre and also include a platform for business sector as it will witness trade meetings between customers, government sectors and exhibitors. - ONA

RECOGNITION: The award was based on evaluation of the quality and accuracy of SWIFT payment messages routed through Barclays Bank. – Supplied photo

taining an outstanding error-free rate for remittances of over 96 per cent. The award was based on evaluation of the quality and accuracy of SWIFT payment messages routed through Barclays Bank. The bank’s central operations electronic payments department, Treasury back office and Global Trade Services department are handling fund transfer operations while the technical and security issues are handled by the Systems & Procedures department.

The ‘Recognition Award for

Outstanding Payment Systems in GBP’ highlighted the bank’s commitment to high standards of quality in meeting the stringent criteria for fund transfer. The bank’s exceptional quality in the delivery of commercial payments and transfers, facilitated by a state-of-the-art in-house payment architecture, which helps to consistently maintain high SWIFT standards for automated processing throughout the payment chain resulting in extremely high STP rates, was also acknowledged.

The Financial Institutions Group, reckoned as one of the leading FI teams in the region, has established more than 500 correspondent banking relationships across the world.

Barclays Bank is among Bank Muscat’s prominent correspondent bank for British Pound payments. Representatives of Barclays Bank commended the operational teams involved in processing GBP payments at Bank Muscat for the error-free rate maintained consistently throughout the high volume of remittances processed during 2014.

A multi-award winning organisation, Bank Muscat’s STP performance has been consistently lauded by the international financial and banking community for several years.

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HONOUR

alizz islamic bank chief executive officer bags GCC’s ‘Top CEO’ Award Times News Service MUSCAT: alizz islamic bank has said that its chief executive officer Salaam Said Al Shaksy, was recently presented with the ‘Top CEO’ award by ‘Trends’ magazine and Insead Business School.

‘Top CEO Awards’ is a red carpet awards ceremony celebrating and recognising achievements of the top 100 CEOs in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Organised by ‘Trends’ magazine and the prestigious Insead Business School, the Top CEO Awards target the region’s most influential decision makers. It is the only regional ranking based on the financial statements of publicly listed companies. The awards celebrate the achievement of the region’s top players in the market, making

Salaam Said Al Shaksy

them the most credible and transparent in the region.

Al Shaksy is a member of Oman’s State Council and deputy head of its Economic Committee. He is also a member of the board of directors of Oman Oil Company and chairman of its board Audit and Risk Committee. His other appointments include: member of the board and

board executive committee of Al Raff’d Fund; chairman of Oman’s Investment Stabilisation Fund; member of the advisory board at The College of Economics & Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University; and chairman of The Shaksy Group.

Al Shaksy is a graduate of Boston University, the US, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (cum laude), a Masters in Management Information Systems (Honours) and an MBA in Management of Financial Services (High Honours).

He has also completed the senior executive programme from the London Business School, UK. Al Shaksy is the first Omani CEO of a fullfledged Islamic bank in Oman and has received a number of awards in banking.

B4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

MARKET Fixed-telephone lines user base rises 15.9% in Oman Fixed telephone line subscriber base stood at 434,932 by the end of 2015, against 375,196 registered at the end of 2014, National Centre for Statistics and Information said in its latest report CLOSE SCRUTINY: There has been a 7.3 per cent increase in the number of mobile subscribers. — ONA

MUSCAT: Total number of fixed telephone lines, including post- and pre-paid, public, WLL, and ISDN channels in Oman registered a growth of 15.9 per cent in 2015.

The fixed telephone line subscriber base stood at 434,932 by the end of 2015, against 375,196 registered at the end of 2014, according to data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Meanwhile, there has been a 7.3 per cent rise in the number of mobile subscribers (post- and prepaid) last year, with the number rising to 6,646,674 million, from over 6,194,169 million in 2014.

Among fixed lines, fixed prepaid (card fixed) telephones witnessed the highest growth at 69.4 per cent, taking the total to 56,021, while post-paid connections rose by nearly 12.9 per cent to 325,083.

WLL connections, however, fell

by 2.2 per cent to 1,771, while ISDN channels decreased 0.6 per cent to 45,256, last year.

Public pay telephones The Sultanate had a total of 6,801 public pay telephones last year, with no change in numbers, compared with the figures for 2014.

The post-paid mobile subscriber base increased by 10.7 per cent to 585,166, even as pre-paid mobile connections grew by 7.0 per

cent to over 6.06 million, NCSI data said.

Interestingly, last year, the number of internet subscribers surged 31 per cent to 236,004, primarily due to a 31.7 per cent growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers, which reached 233,233. However, dialup internet subscriptions fell by 10.1 per cent to 2,771, compared with figures for 2014.

The NCSI data also showed

SOHAR FREE ZONE

a growth of 12.5 per cent in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers, pushing such subscriptions to over 3,253,949 million in 2015. Apart from this, national leased circuits logged a growth of 1.9 per cent, taking their number to 3,815.

The Governorate of Muscat had the highest number of main telephone lines at 213,105 by the end of 2015, reflecting a growth rate of 14.4 per cent, compared with 2014.

The Governorate of Dhofar took the second spot at 33,737, followed by the Governorate of North Al Batinah at 28,113. The Governorate of Al Wusta recorded the least number of main telephone lines at 1,891, even as it logged the highest growth of 65 per cent among the governorates.

Main telephone lines in the Governorate of South Al Batinah posted a growth of 20.6 per cent to 26,568, while the Governorate of South A’Sharqiyah saw an increase of 45.5 per cent to 7,794 lines last year, compared with the prior year.

The Governorate of North A’Sharqiyah recorded a growth of 19.5 per cent to 17,846 lines, while the Governorate of A’Dhahirah registered a 25.8 per cent jump in main telephone lines, taking the total number to 10,837. — ONA

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

New directory on building materials sector unveiled DOHA: Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) has unveiled a new publication “Building Materials Industry Director in the GCC Countries” and Yemen.

In this regard, GOIC Secretary General Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Aqeel said: “Building materials industry is a key sector in the GCC countries, for it is a pillar of development and progress.”

“The boom in Gulf was paralleled with the construction of several residential, industrial, commercial and leisure cities, in addition to infrastructure and public projects according to the different development plans of GCC countries,” he added.

This Directory is part of a series of specialised industrial directories issued by GOIC to provide information regarding the industrial sector, making the data accessible to the largest number of decision and policy makers, investors and researchers in this field, he said.

Building materials industry includes manufacture of glass and glass products, refractory products, clay building materials, porcelain and ceramic products, cement, lime and plaster, articles of concrete, cement and plaster, cutting, shaping and finishing of stone and manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products. — ONA

IDF OMAN

Saudi-based logistics company to build mega warehouse park in Sohar MUSCAT: An agreement to build a major warehousing park within the Sohar free zone was signed by the Sohar Port and Freezone, with Warehousing Solutions, a newly established company from Saudi Arabia’s logistics provider Warehousing Projects and Logistics (WPL).

The signing marks the beginning of construction of WPL’s planned 50,000-square meter warehouse park in the Sohar Free Zone, of which a further 50,000 square metres (sqm) has been reserved for Phase II, taking the total size of the land lease agreement up to 100,000 sqm.

Warehousing Solutions will construct ready-to-build warehouses, as well as bespoke warehousing for other Sohar tenants on-site in the Free Zone. The new deal comes at just the right time.

Throughput at Sohar Port increased dramatically over 2015, with an average of close to one million tonnes of cargo throughput a week recorded last year.

The new highway connecting Sohar directly to Saudi Arabia is due to open in the first quarter of 2016, and the first 200 kilometre segment of the GCC rail network in the Sultanate will start construction this year, linking Sohar to the border of the United Arab

MAJOR EVENT: IDF has already occupied 95 per cent of the exhi-

bition space and is set to host over 100 companies. — Supplied picture

LEASE AGREEMENT SIGNED: Warehousing Solutions will construct ready-to-build warehouses, as

well as bespoke warehousing for other Sohar tenants on-site in the Free Zone. — ONA

Emirates (UAE) in the Governorate of Al Buraimi, with onward rail links to Abu Dhabi.

The signing took place at the Sohar annual business reception, which was held in Muscat. Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, chairman of the Sohar Port and Free Zone, as well as Sohar Free zone chief executive officers (CEOs) Andre Toet and Jamal Aziz signed the agreement with WPL CEO Abdulaziz Mansoor Al Subaie. The signing ceremony was attended

by VIPs and guests from the public and private sectors, as well as representatives from key diplomatic missions in the Sultanate.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Sohar Free Zone CEO Aziz, said: “We are delighted to

have signed this lease agreement with WPL’s new Omani company, Warehousing Solutions. The logistics sector in the Sultanate is projected to grow beyond the $12 billion mark by 2017, and we have set out to make 2016 the “Year of Logistics,” to attract more 2PL and 3PL providers to Sohar. Longterm, thanks to our unique location, the logistics industry has the potential to surpass the hydrocarbons sector as the nation’s economic mainstay.”

WPL’s CEO Al Subaie, summed up: “We’ve seen an active interest in warehousing and logistics development emerging in the Sultanate and our presence at Sohar expands our reach across the region to meet these demands. With its strategic

location as a logistics hub for the Gulf, the Sohar Free Zone will add to the value proposition we can offer to clients and logistics service providers. We look forward to cooperating with the Free Zone’s OneStop-Shop team to turn our latest expansion into reality.”

The WPL started in 2010 with a land bank of around 500,000 sqm situated in the industrial cities of Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Madinah, with the development of prebuilt warehouses for logistics services providers and other clients. It has expanded its portfolio into builtto-suit warehouses and warehousing design, through collaboration with an international consulting firm, complemented with third-party logistics (3PL) services. — ONA

Expo to focus on design and decor Times News Service MUSCAT: The third IDF Oman - Interior Design, Décor and Furniture Exhibition will be held from 15–17 February, 2016.

Taking place at the Oman International Exhibition Centre in Seeb,which is organised by Al Nimr Expo and under the patronage of the Ministry of Housing and Public Authority for Craft Industries, Sultanate of Oman.

Oman’s rapid progress in the construction and real estate sector has resulted in the launch of numerous commercial, residential and tourism projects, creating a demand for interior and outdoor design, décor and furnishings.

Latest in technology The key objective of the exhibition is to display the latest in technology, usage of materials and innovative approaches to interior design, décor and furniture. IDF has helped meet the growing demand by bringing together the leading companies in the industry under one roof.

In its third edition, IDF Oman will be showcasing accessories and art, bathroom, building material, carpets, commercial interiors and fit out, décor, flooring, furniture and furnishings, interior design, kitchen, lightings,

luxury lifestyle, outdoor design and build, renovation, retail fitout and eco building, surfaces and finishes, textiles, as well as Vastu and Feng Shui, to compliment the on-going construction of major infrastructure projects in the Sultanate, making the exhibition an‘exclusive emporium’.

IDF has already occupied 95 per cent of the exhibition space, and is set to host over 100 companies from across the globe, surpassing the past two exhibitions.

Also, more than 35 companies will be represented by Italy, which is managed by MEDINIT SRL for the third year.

The Diamond Sponsors for the exhibition are: Kny Design GmbH, Abu Yasseen Designs, andI-Factory. Platinum Sponsors are Décor Collezione / UdayKhimji International LLC, Global Pyramid LLC, Better Homes, The Metal Engineeringand Fahmy Furniture LLC. Gold Sponsors are MAF and Partners, Al Hajiry Trading LLC, Swiss Open Air Concept and Serial Kolor.

Visitor Badge Sponsors are Chiller and Vivid Security. The event is also supported by Embassy of Italy Muscat, Paragon International, American Hardwood Export Council, Egyptian Furniture Export Council, Association of Professional Interior Designers, and AIA Middle East.

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ROUND-UP

Renault Oman launches ‘Muscat Festival Offer’

CLASS-LEADING COMFORT

Renault’s exclusive offer comprises a

Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L: A family friendly SUV

plethora of benefits on most of its top selling models as well as its newly launched models last year

MUSCAT: Renault Oman from Suhail Bahwan Group announced its exclusive ‘Muscat Festival Offer’ on its sleek range of vehicles for customers which ends on February 13, says a press release.

Renault’s exclusive offer comprises a plethora of benefits on most of its top selling models as well as its newly launched models last year.

Renault’s sedan segment comprises a prestigious lineup of vehicles that includes the sleek Renault Fluence, the strikingly good looking Renault Safrane and the newly launched Renault Symbol and Renault Megane.

The SUV/Crossover range comprises the Renault Duster, Renault Koleos and the all-new 2015 Renault Captur and lastly the recently launched LCV vehicle – the Renault Dokker Van. Exclusive offers include The Renault Symbol 1.6l: Customers will be entitled to receive free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

The Renault Megane 1.6l SE CVT: Customers will be entitled to receive free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

The Renault Fluence 1.6l and

2.0l: Customers will be entitled to receive free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years / 30,000km (whichever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Safrane 2.0l, 2.5l and 3.5l: Customer benefits include free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Koleos 2.5l: Customers will be entitled to free registration, free unlimited warranty period of up to six years free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card, and a cash gift of OMR1,000.

Renault Duster 2.0l PE and SE model (2 wheel drive & 4 wheel drive) attractions comprise free registration, free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR600.

The upbeat Renault Captur 1.2l Turbo PE, SE and LE models comes with free registration, free unlimited warranty period of up to six years, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/30,000km (whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR750.

Renault Dokker LE 1.2l M/T model (with and without partition) comes with free registration, free periodic maintenance service up to two years/ 30,000km

ART AND LITERARY CONTEST

The soulful Symbol The Renault Symbol is a statusenhancing yet affordable family sedan. Its modern design and attractive equipment package, combined with its low fuel consumption make the new Renault Symbol the perfect sedan for families looking for value for money along with status and style.

The mesmerising Megane The Megane hatch is equipped with dual side-impact sensors, which make it an incredibly efficient option for any safety-conscious Renault purchaser. With its unique aesthetic that turns heads at its sporty seduction, the 2016 Renault Megane 1.6 is a meeting place of practicality and passion for design.

The alluring Fluence The Renault Fluence offers more generous passenger space than other vehicles in the same class. Interior measurements are highly impressive, with elbow room of 1,480mm in the front and 1,475mm at the rear.

The luxurious Safrane The Renault Safrane 3.5 V6 fitted with an automatic six-speed transmission comes equipped with the Carminat TomTom navigation system, a solution as efficient as it is easy to update and use, with the intuitive joystick.

The impressive Koleos The key highlights are the Renault Koleos reliability, with its power train of 2.5L engine, CVT transmission and 170 horse power issued from the Renault Nissan AlBEING RESPONSIBLE

ISC Kerala Wing plans to hold Youth Festival competitions in April MUSCAT: The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat has decided to hold its art and literary competitions for all age groups and they are open for all Indians residing in the Sultanate.

The various competitions gauging the participants’ talent in dance, music and literature will be held at various venues starting from first week of April 2016, says a press release.

The winners of the various competitions of the Youth Festival 2016 will be awarded trophies and certificates. Eminent panel of judges from India as well as Oman will choose the best performers in each category.

To encourage participants as a team from a school, Rolling Trophy will be awarded to the school that scores the maximum.

The participants will be informed about the dates of various items over telephone and the details are also updated regularly on Kerala Wing website: www.isckeralawing.org.

(whichever comes first), AAA road side assistance card and a cash gift of OMR500.

Painting, drawing and literary events like poem writing, essay writing short story writing in both English and Malayalam languages will be held separately at Indian Social Club Hall at Darsait.

Spot entries are available for these events.

This is the largest competition in terms of participation and candidates from all parts of the Sultanate have entered, claimed the organisers.

The competitions are being held on the lines of the famed youth festivals held in Kerala and a high voltage contest is expected in all the sections — sub-juniors, juniors, seniors and adult.

The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club, founded in 2001, is a unique organisation in the sociocultural scenario of Sultanate of Oman.

The organisation is an alert respondent to the expat community in Oman and is active in the humanitarian and socio-cultural activities in Oman.

liance; added safety, with its six airbags; hill start assistance and hill slope control; ESP with Anti Slip Regulation; comfort, with its dual zone air-conditioning, leather interior and electric panoramic sunroof; advanced technology, with Bose sound system; digital media connectivity- USB and iPod docks; bluetooth capabilities, Renault key-less smart card; navigation assistance; 4WD differential lock, and roominess, with a segmenttopping cabin space.

The amazing Duster The Renault Duster, a strong and reliable SUV with genuine off-road ability is versatile and combines a spacious interior with saloon-car comfort. The Duster’s compact footprint and high ground clearance ensures that it is meant for all kinds of roads.

The captivating Captur It is a crossover packed with a turbocharged engine for those occasional bursts of controlled fun.

The engine producing 120 BHP and 190 Nm of torque is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The new Dokker Van Spacious and impressive, the Renault Dokker Van aims to please, with an innate sense of practicality and versatility. It can take all kinds of loads, assisted by XL sliding side doors (more than 70 cm wide) and two asymmetrical rear doors meeting the challenges of transport and delivery with ingenuity and panache.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Renault Oman’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

MUSCAT: The Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles offers a full complement of technology and features that offer auto enthusiasts a perfect combination of perfect off-road capability (i-Auto 4WD system), dynamic design, class-leading comfort, a rewarding driving experience and unmatched interior comfort for a perfect family drive, says a press release.

SUV for the family The Nissan Pathfinder has transformed into a much more family-friendly SUV, with a roomy, modern interior, and handling characteristics and impressive power. The Pathfinder is no longer the choice for those who need to venture off-road only.

With the introduction of the all-new fourth generation, not only does Pathfinder provide capability with spacious seating for seven, and an intuitive 4 Wheel Drive System, but it also resets the standard for the segment with an unprecedented level of premium style, comfort, fuel economy and offer a comfortable experience for families.

Dynamic design Along with reduced weight, Pathfinder’s new unibody platform provided the designers an opportunity to create the more aerodynamic exterior without compromising headroom or cargo capacity. Moving upscale in appearance, the new exterior styling presents a smart fusion of signature Nissan styling cues and dynamic strength.

The look is adventure-ready with wheel-oriented muscular fenders and a strong, stable stance. The upper body features

an open cabin with large windows which can be complemented with an available Dual Panoramic Moonroof, to enhance the new Pathfinder’s open, airy interior environment.

Class-leading comfort The new Pathfinder offers the comfort of a larger SUV with its flat floor enhancing interior packaging flexibility. The Pathfinder’s unique versatility is exemplified in the design of the EZ Flex Seating System, giving 5.5 inches of sliding second row seating travel while additionally providing exceptional third row access even with a child safety seat remaining securely in place (on the passenger curb side). Pathfinder’s quiet, comfortable interior benefits from a wide range of available features, rich leatherappointed seating surfaces; ventilated, heated and cooled front seats; sliding second row seats and an advanced Bose Audio System with 6 speakers.

Safety features Standard safety features on the Nissan Pathfinder 3.5L include antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seats. Rear parking sensors and a rear view camera are standard on all. The vehicle also features a blind-spot warning system and rear cross-traffic alert, while upper grades come with a more deluxe surroundview camera system.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURS

NBC inks pacts with Ibra Energy Services, Majan Health Services Park Inn Muscat supports Oman Environment Day MUSCAT: During the Oman Environment Day, Park Inn Muscat employees showed its support by taking the initiative to clean the hotel and the surroundings of its neighbouring buildings as part of responsible business activity.

The activity purpose is to maintain cleanliness of the vicinity of the hotel and for the staff to get involved and gain more knowledge in taking care of the environment, says a press release.

“We are dedicated to maintain what has been started. The hotel wants to further demonstrate to our employees, clients, suppliers and owners, the significance and importance of a strong groupwide environmental strategy,” said Rabih Zein, cluster general manager for Park Inn Muscat and Park Inn Duqm.

MUSCAT: With the aspiration to offer a premier platform for promising Omani entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas and advance them into growing and successful ventures, the National Business Centre (NBC) signed incubation agreements with Ibra Energy Services and Majan Health Services (MHS) in the presence of Malak Al Shaibani, director general of NBC, says a press release.

Ibra Energy Services is an InCountry Value (ICV) initiative aiming to position itself as the leading energy solutions provider in Oman and the region. The company aspires to achieve its goals through its commitment to source out innovative technology from around the world. The team has extensive knowledge, experience, and resources in the oil and gas sector in Oman, the region and internationally.

Eng. Mohsin Al Barwani, managing director of Ibra Energy Services, noted that the objectives of Ibra Energy Services include providing solutions to all the major oil operators in Oman, with

plans to provide products and services in the region; providing innovative solutions while utilising and encouraging local resources to continuously add ICV; and providing equipment, tools and machinery used in hydrocarbon, chemical, solid waste management, industrial, and environmental applications.

MHS is a one-stop occupational medicine service provider and innovative medical solutions.

MHS specialises in the diagnosis, management and prevention of diseases and illnesses in the workplace. MHS is committed to reducing health care costs, increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism, enhancing employee morale, attracting and retain-

ing high-quality employees and delivering a positive return on healthcare investment.

Dr Aisha Al Balushi, CEO of MHS says, “MHS provides unique mobile and on-site services covering healthcare management and occupational medicine tailored packages that suits the needs of organisations needs of the O&G, marine, construction and aviation industries. MHS’s qualified occupational physicians visit workplaces and assess a range of workrelated health issues. MHS offers a range of modular, flexible services.

Weassist in the development and implementation of occupational health solutions and strategies that protect the health of your greatest asset - your workforce.”

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

ROUND-UP 2016 Toyota Avalon: Elegance reimagined One of the most upscale cars in the class, Toyota Avalon has an array of sophisticated touches that draw attention

MUSCAT: The 2016 Toyota Avalon is a world-class sedan with an elegant and refined design.

One of the most upscale cars in the class, the Toyota Avalon has an array of sophisticated touches that draw attention.

Beginning from the premium design alloy wheels and leading up to redesigned upper and lower front grille, the Avalon is adorned with redesigned bumpers with turn signals. Complimenting it are the eye-catching rear bumpers with chrome garnish. The newly designed rear combination lamps set these off. Overall, the newly redesigned and expressive front-fascia makes for the Avalon’s graceful presence, says a press release.

Avalon’s exterior lighting complements the design lines. The industry-first Quadrabeam headlight cluster utilises a sleek and compact double-eye PES headlight design with two square glass condenser lenses that have been adopted for the low beams and offer outstanding lighting performance.

Indeed, there is a lot to love in the refined masterpiece by Toyota; about whom it is quoted that, “The Avalon is one of Toyota’s best offerings, with truly attractive styl-

ing, a high-quality interior, plenty of room and an immensely enjoyable driving experience.”

The Avalon’s interior elaborates on the exterior’s elegant, refined theme to create a premium interior experience that combines high technology and artisanship with an artistic level of sculpted surfaces. This panel is covered in supple, hand-stitched premium soft-touch material with the seam adding some creative flair as it goes across the dash panel.

The driver is engaged by an Optitron-type combination meter, which produces a sharp, high quality display and 3.5-inch Thin-film Transistor (TFT) colour multiinformation display. Furthermore, the Avalon’s interior surfaces are finished in premium materials such as soft-touch materials for the dash panel, unique smoke chrome trim surrounding the centre panel, and high-quality glossy panel trim around the shifter. All of this attention to detail to touch surfaces and subtle enhancements to texture and visual appeal are aimed at elevating the overall interior experience for driver and passengers.

The Avalon’s seats are available as 10-way power adjustable for the

driver’s seat, and 8-way adjustment for the front passenger seat.

The driver’s seat incorporates a seat-cushion length extender; a four-way lumbar support is built into the driver’s seat and a twoway lumbar support for the passenger. An electric seat heater and seat ventilation system have been adopted to help enhance driver and passenger seat comfort.

The Avalon utilises a 3.5-litre, six-cylinder V6 engine that features Dual VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) to help offer superior power and efficiency by optimising the intake and exhaust valve timings to increase engine performance across the entire range.

The Avalon features an automatic transmission that has been optimised for improved fuel economy and performance. Steeringwheel-mounted paddle shifters help activate fast & responsive shifts while keeping both hands on the wheel. The Avalon offers three drive modes: Eco, Normal & Sport.

The Avalon offers a long list of convenient, user-friendly technologies as one would expect with the Toyota’s flagship sedan. The Avalon features 7” navigation display

audio system with Bluetooth compatibility rear camera display and operation of iPod and USB devices.

Toyota Avalon is equipped with a remote engine starter, which is a smart key system that locks and unlocks the front doors and enables opening of the doors when the key is within a short distance of the door handle. The key’s transmitter also allows the engine to be started with the push of a button.

The Avalon is equipped with a rear window power shade that blocks direct sun rays for the rear passengers, the shade adopts an autodown function when shifting into reverse. A lighter weight power sunroof design has been adopted to help reduce vehicle weight.

Avalon has a total of ten SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags providing enhanced safety.

It also features Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

All specifications listed above are standard Toyota equipment.

Safety kit (fire extinguisher, warning triangle, tyre pressure gauge and first aid kit) is a dealer installed non Toyota item provided on Toyota models as standard equipment. The vehicle specifications may change without prior notice. Pictures and colours may differ from actual specifications of the vehicles. For further details and to ascertain availability of stocks, please visit your nearest Toyota showroom.

In Oman, Toyota’s outstanding product quality is supported by the nationwide parts and service network of Saud Bahwan Automotive.

No wonder then that today Toyota is one of the most trusted and wellknown brands.

ELECTRONICS SHOWROOM

Sharaf DG opens its new outlet in Sohar Safeer Mall SOHAR: Sharaf DG, most preferred electronics destination, recently opened its new outlet in Oman at Safeer Mall Sohar.

It was inaugurated by Saleh Al Hadabi, director general of Sohar Municipality, says a press release.

Exciting inaugural offers were also launched and grabbed by mall customers. Sharaf DG in Safeer Mall Sohar has been designed in accordance with the international standard highly focused on sophistication and customer friendly environment. Its aim is to provide not only a lifestyle experience but certainly a destination where customers can find the widest range of brands in the region across the categories like mobiles & smartphones, laptops & tablets, televisions & home theatre, home appliances & personal care, electricals, gaming, photography and much more.

“We are happy that our anticipation is finally over and Sharaf DG has now officially opened its doors for our discerning customers. This will certainly complement our ever growing tenant portfolio and Safeer Mall Sohar as a hub for our electronic enthu-

Sharaf DG in Safeer Mall Sohar has been designed in accordance with the international standard highly focused on sophistication and customer friendly environment

siasts who look forward for best deals and great offers. We look forward with vigour to the prospect of an exciting year ahead for the mall in general,” commented Vijay Manwani, chief operating officer of Safeer Mall Sohar.

MEGA RAFFLE

NDC gives away prizes to winners of Bahar Bonanza promotion MUSCAT: Attractive prizes were given away at the prize distribution ceremony of National Detergent Company (NDC)’s mega raffle promotion ‘Bahar Bonanza’, held recently on KM Hypermarket premises in Al Khuwair.

Prizes like Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S6, Dell laptops and Samsung mobiles were handed over to the lucky winners by the officials of KM Trading, NDC and Hamood Al Balushi, director of Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE). The two-month long promotion was made available in all major outlets

across Oman such as Lulu Hypermarket, Carrefour, Sultan Center, Mars Hypermarket, Karama, KM Trading, says a press release.

For purchase of NDC products worth OMR3, a scratch and win card plus a raffle coupon was given to the consumer. For purchase worth OMR5, consumers received two scratch and win cards along with raffle coupons. 20,000 scratch and win prizes were handed over during the promotion period. As an added attraction, 100 winners received a mobile phone worth OMR50 for collecting combination of alphabets ‘BA+HA+R’

in the coupons. Commenting on the promotion, V. Sundaresan, director and CEO - NDC, said: “We continue to offer the best promotions and valuable prizes to our customers in appreciation of their continuous support and effective contributions as real partners in boosting NDC’s growth.

In keeping with the company’s tradition of providing only the finest rewards and benefits to its customers while continuing to offer world class products, NDC will come up with more such promotions this year for customers to win fabulous prizes.”

The NDC promotions are supported by PEIE. Through its Origin Oman campaign, PEIE promotes products manufactured in the Sultanate. The campaign creates awareness and increases the visibility of Omani products while encouraging residents to buy Omani and avail of the quality services available in the country. Quality offerings from NDC include Bahar Fresh Blossom detergent powder, Bahar Enzymatic low foam detergent, Bahar Ultra Dish washing liquid, Bahar Fabric Softener, Bahar Abaya, Bahar Clean disinfectant, Bahar Antiseptic and others.

PLATINUM HOTEL AWARDS BEST EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

The Platinum Hotel in a brief ceremony awarded the hardworking staff of the hotel with the Best Employee of the Month certificate and cash prize. This gesture from the management of the hotel is to boost and encourage the staff to excel in the services to their esteemed clients. “In this challenging scenario of stiff competition the only additional benefit to the clients is to offer exemplary services which of course is sourced out from their staff,” said a senior hotel official. — Supplied picture

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TAC customer endorses Geely Emgrand GT sedan

‘Geely Emgrand GT is an excellent car. It is powerful yet smooth; sporty outside and luxury inside,’ says Abdul Hakim from Salalah who recently purchased the newly launched Geely Emgrand GT

MUSCAT: Abdul Hakim from Salalah recently purchased the newly launched Geely Emgrand GT and he is highly pleased with his latest acquisition.

“Geely Emgrand GT is an excellent car. It is powerful yet smooth; sporty outside and luxury inside.

All in all, a great car with a lot of high points including great performance, class-leading features and utmost comfort,” he said.

Geely Emgrand GT was launched in Oman two weeks back

by Towell Auto Centre (TAC) and it has witnessed instant appreciation. It is already a very popular car in the GCC as well as internationally, especially for its design and power, says a press release.

“There is no greater satisfaction for us than receiving a heartfelt appreciation from our customers and we are overwhelmed with the warm reception that the Emgrand GT has received in Oman. Our sole mission has always been to bring quality products and experiences for the automobile lovers in the country,” said a senior spokesperson of TAC. “By launching brands such as Geely, we have ensured our customers have access to high quality, superior but cost-effective cars. The brand Geely has long ago changed the widely-held belief that products made in China are of inferior quality. In fact, the amazing Geely range has proved that China made cars can be equally reliable and outstanding performers, like their western counterparts. The new Geely Emgrand GT car takes the brand to another level with its added value elements that appeal to the customers’ rising expectations. It unites a striking sporty exterior with a high-class luxury

interior while simultaneously enhancing overall vehicle functionality and integrating state-of-the-art technologies with Chinese elements”, the spokesperson added.

Artistic innovation The Emgrand GT #Super Sedan is a four-door ‘fastback’ sedan with an aggressive profile, an overall length of 4956mm and wheelbase of 2850mm, giving an elegant and solid stance. It features an artistic innovation that borrows heavily from classical Chinese aesthetic needs and international styling philosophy. The distinctive side shoulder line arches over the front wheel and then sweeps cleanly around the vehicle’s length, combining a sense of speed with character and elegance. The wide shoulder surface gives a strong and confident feel.

“The Geely Emgrand GT has been designed using the innovative KC Concept by veteran car designer Peter Horbury who oversaw design at various luxury automotive brands including Volvo before moving to Geely as design vice president. Under Horbury’s watch Geely Auto has established four global design centers in Shanghai, Barcelona, Los Angeles and Gothenburg, Sweden where the next generation of Geely vehicles are

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Bank Sohar hosts blood donation drive MUSCAT: As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Bank Sohar recently hosted a special blood donation drive at its headquarters in MBD. The donation event was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), in order to support and promote the healthy practice of donating blood and to positively contribute to the society and country, says a press release.

Highlighting the importance of such initiatives Munira Abdulnabi Macki, GM – HR & Corporate Support at Bank Sohar, said: “Blood donation is considered a noble practice and an integral part of supporting our community. Every drop of blood collected counts; not many people know that donating just one pint of blood can save up to three lives!

The objective of the drive was to support Ministry of Health’s cause by creating awareness and embedding the idea of regularly donating blood due to the massive positive impact it can have in saving people lives.”

The blood donation drive comes from Bank Sohar’s firm be-

lief that social responsibility is a common objective that should be shared by individuals and corporates. The annual blood donation drive aims to support the efforts of the Ministry of Health and other medical institutions in order to save lives.

It also helps create awareness and embed the idea of regularly donating blood due to the massive positive impact it can have in the community. In addition to saving lives and contributing to the betterment of the community, the practice of donating blood also re-

sults in donors receiving numerous health benefits.

These include prevention of toxic build-up in the blood; lowering of iron levels within the body, which in turn helps reduce the risk of heart diseases; and reduction in blood pressure and blood glucose levels. Moreover, after having donated blood, the donor’s body also initiates the process of creating fresh blood.

Munira Abdulnabi Macki praised the high turnout from Bank Sohar employees who supported the drive: “This blood donation drive, among our many other initiatives, is an extension and proof of our unwavering commitment to the betterment of our community and it is always gratifying to see such support from our staff. We are truly proud of every employee that has donated blood during this drive, especially those that do so year after year.

“Their active participation clearly reflects an increase in awareness about the importance of donating blood, and also confirms their commitment to saving lives,” she added.

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being designed. Geely Emgrand GT is one of them,” the spokesperson adds. The headlights and grille of the Emgrand GT form a unified graphic, with the arched curve of the grille inspired by the distinctive profile of historic Chinese stone bridges. The graceful and modern interior design of the car reflects a mix of technology and quality. The steering wheel, door armrests and front control display have a lightweight and elegant appearance. The central console arches from the front to the rear passenger area. The seats are welldesigned, floating on bridge-like supports and dressed in the style of Chinese clothing. Fine red wood, jade, traditional patterns and ambient lighting works together to enhance the interior quality.

By bringing the Geely range to the Sultanate, TAC has reinforced its commitment to provide high-quality products and services to its customers in Oman.

Moreover, TAC is offering for first 3 years 24 hour AAA roadside assistance as added assurance and 3 years/100,000km warranty on purchase of Geely cars. With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is one of the leading automobile distributors in the region.

H E A LT H C A R E

Senior bariatric surgeon available for consultation at Apollo Muscat MUSCAT: Apollo Muscat, associated to Apollo group of Hospitals in India — Asia’s largest group of Hospitals — has teamed up to deliver bariatric clinic services at Apollo Muscat.

Dr Ramen Goel, senior consultant laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon from India, will be offering his services at Apollo Muscat. Dr Ramen Goel is available for consultation at Apollo Muscat today and tomorrow, says a press release.

Obesity is an increasingly common medical condition in which a person is overweight to the extent that there is a negative effect on health, reduced quality of life, and a lowered life expectancy. Obesity is no longer considered a cosmetic issue that is caused by overeating and a lack of self-control.

The disease of obesity is extremely costly not only in terms of economics, but also in terms of individual and societal health, longevity, and psychological wellbeing. Due to its progressive nature, obesity requires life-long treatment and control.

Dr Ramen Goel, a pioneer bariatric surgeon from Mumbai, India, who has operated on over 2,000 obese and diabetic patients from all over the world, is now

available for consultation and surgery at Apollo Muscat, associated to Apollo Group of Hospitals India. Dr Goel, who has performed India’s first gastric band, banded gastric bypass and mini lap surgery, has been accredited as India’s first Bariatric Surgeon of Excellence by Surgical Review Corporation, USA. Dr Goel is cochief editor of a peer reviewed Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Research and has many published articles to his credit.

Saileswaran, managing director, Apollo Muscat, said: “With increasing exposure to western culture, lifestyle diseases - obesity, diabetes, and heart disease - are rapidly increasing. Though lifestyle modifications are necessary, a majority of people finds it difficult to lose or maintain weight or blood sugars.

“Bariatric or metabolic surgery has been accepted worldwide as the most effective treatment modality for obesity and diabetes in selected patients.”

He also added, bariatric surgery has become extremely popular all over the world considering its efficacy and safety. Leading politicians, businessmen and well informed people have undergone this surgery for better health and quality of life.

GROWING PRESENCE

Hyflux wins another contract in KSA SINGAPORE: Hydrochem Saudi Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyflux Group (Hyflux), has been awarded a contract by Snamprogetti Saudi Arabia Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Saipem S.p.A. (Saipem) to design, manufacture and supply a seawater reverse osmosis and sulphate removal facilities package in Khurais, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The project value is approximately $50.4 million, says a press release.

“This win underscores Hyflux’s growing presence in the Middle East region and our expertise in designing high specification plants for industrial

customers,” said Olivia Lum, Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Hyflux.

The Khurais oil field, is located approximately 150km northeast of Riyadh. Italian group Saipem is the engineering and construction contractor for the project to expand the daily production capacity at the Khurais Central Processing Facility by 300,000 barrels of oil from the current 1,200,000 barrels.

The contract is to be fulfilled over one year, and is expected to contribute to the financials of Hyflux for the financial year ending December 31, 2016.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

ROUND-UP

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Swisstours opens new outlet at MQ Swisstours along with Khimji’s House of Travel also announced special offers on trips to Switzerland

MUSCAT: Switzerland! The name invariably conjures up images of unparalleled beauty and divine scenery.

Visiting Switzerland is on the bucket list of many travellers and Swisstours along with Khimji’s House of Travel announced special offers that can make this wish come true in 2016. A dedicated

Swisstours office was also opened in Madinat Qaboos (MQ), says a press release.

Speaking at the press briefing on the opening of their dedicated office at Madinat Qaboos, Toovey Abraham, CEO of Swisstours, said: “Our appointment of Khimji’s House of Travel as our General Sales Agent has brought us the success which

we had anticipated from a partnership with a company of such standing and repute. With the new Swisstours dedicated office at MQ and Khimji’s committed staff we hope to continue to promote Switzerland

as the year-round family destination that it truly is.”

To kick-start 2016 and the summer travel season Swisstours has initiated an exclusive offer especially for the Oman market ACCOLADE

Gulf Air awarded at MEET ICT 2016 MANAMA: Gulf Air was recently honoured, for the third consecutive year, at the sixth edition of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) conference ‘MEET ICT’ and the Bahrain International Technology Exhibition held in Bahrain recently. The airline’s Director of IT, Dr Jassim Haji, was awarded the ‘ICT Personality Award – Private Sector’, says a press release.

beginning with a free upgrade to first class rail travel on the most popular 4 and 7 night independent packages that are inclusive of accommodation, rail travel and mountain excursions. A discounted price is on the offer, to see one the most popular mountain excursion in Switzerland; Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe. Jungfraujoch offers visitors a high – Alpine wonderland of ice, snow and rock which one can admire from vantage terraces.

Other than its world renowned scenic beauty, chocolates and cheese, in Switzerland a traveller can experience many superlatives like Europe’s highest railway station at Jungfraujoch, the world’s most photographed mountain in

the form of the Matterhorn, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway leading up to Mount Pilatus as well as the world’s first open Double Decker cable car going up the Stanserhorn mountain.

Speaking on the occasion, M. C. Jose, CEO Projects & Logistics Group at Khimji Ramdas said: “It is the expertise and attention to detail that makes the difference between an ordinary and an excellent holiday. Our experienced staff is our greatest asset and the experience of them having visited Switzerland puts them in a position to give that right touch to every holiday itinerary that they prepare for our guests.

Customers can call our toll-free number 80075000 to know more on Switzerland Holidays.”

AMAL COURIERS

New local courier service fills a niche in Oman market

MUSCAT: For the first time in Muscat, a local courier service has been introduced that will offer door-to-door delivery for corporate companies as well as individuals. Amal Couriers hopes to modernise same-day delivery at a minimal cost with the aim to easing off pressure for those who are busy or caught up or have yet to get their driving licence, says a press release.

With a tagline ‘Everything within Reach’, Amal Couriers will start out working with firms in the business services, retail sectors, food and grocery and healthcare as well as pick up documents that you may have left back or forgotten in the office.

On the other hand, Amal Sentiments touches another chord wherein customers will be able to send out gifts on special occasions when they cannot be present personally, providing a personal touch.

“Local courier service is a concept that is prevalent in other parts of the world. Going by the growth of the country over the years and the importance given to personal relations, it is an idea I feel that would do very well in Muscat. We hope to make it a

success in the capital and then introduce it in other parts of Oman as well,” explained Faisal A. Hussain, chief executive officer.

“Our belief is that the customers’ needs are of the utmost importance and we have an entire team committed to meeting those needs. The focus is to provide high quality service that will take customer satisfaction to another level,” he added.

The company is committed to providing a high level of service that will only get better in the future. Initially the service can be accessed through website and phone, but subsequently, it hopes to introduce a mobile app with an advanced tracking system so that the customer has complete visibility on every consignment and will know where these goods are at any given period of time.

The company is already in talks with established corporate companies and retail outlets to their delivery on regular basis and hopes to expand the base as the concept gains popularity.

Amal Couriers and Amal Sentiments are being launched under the umbrella of the Best Solutions that will also be introducing Amal Business Services.

I N S TA 8 E V E N T

Top executives unite on common platform MUSCAT: In a first ever gettogether on a social media platform, top executives gathered at Opera Galleria for Insta8 Executive, an event that had executives and entrepreneurs from varying fields share their experiences and thoughts.

One of the speakers at the well attended event was Sheikh Dr Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi from the royal family of Ajman.

Referred by interesting names such as the Green Sheikh and ‘from polluter to protector’, he was interviewed by the CNN as an environmentalist. He spoke about his passion and how he loves to inspire young people as they can make a difference in their family, community and country, says a press release.

“A leader is not one who is right at the top; it is someone who can inspire people and take people along. Even a child can be a leader and lead by experience,” he said.

On the other hand, His Highness Sayyid Tariq bin Shabib bin Taimur spoke on behalf of a large

corporation but feels there are lessons within that apply to everyone. While reaching out to young people starting new businesses or joining corporate companies, he said the ideal situation would be if one is fortunate enough to do what one really enjoys. Then, one will give it much more time and a lot will be done in less time.

For those new to the social media scene in Oman, Insta8 is when eight motivators speak for eight minutes in eight moments addressing topics within the instagram sphere. It is an informal gathering where people gather to network, share abilities and skills and most important, to follow and get followed.

Fahmi Al Ma’awali, Owner of Eventus, who created this platform, said Insta8 Executive took the platform to another level as it encompasses everyone who has to take decisions.

The event was supported by Opera Galleria, Tamrah Oman, Grand Hyatt Muscat, Oman Air, Hassad and Sahtain – gourmet catering.

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

SECTION

PANDEY’S MAIDEN TON HELPS INDIA AVOID WHITEWASH >C3

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INSIDE LIFESTYLE

HYGIENE STANDARDS FOR A HEALTHY HOME >C5

Father-in-law’s collapse sours Murray’s day in Melbourne

also suspended after a spectator fell down the stairs at the same show court on Thursday. Murray also skipped the post-match media conference and the Scot’s only comment was confined to his match.

“It was tricky. I didn’t feel great,” he said in a statement. “It was good to get through that one.”

nament and Victoria Azarenka given a huge boost in her bid to win a third title at Melbourne Park.

The 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka also reached the last 16, staying on track for a blockbuster semifinal against Murray.

Muguruza, rated one of the few women capable of threatening champion Serena Williams, slumped out at the hands of unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova, her 6-3, 6-2 loss punching a hole in the draw. With Romanian world No. 2 Simona Halep sent packing in the opening round, seventh seed Angelique Kerber remains the top woman in the draw’s lower half.

But the path to a dream final against Williams seems laid out for 14th seed Azarenka.

A succession of injuries over the past two years and a bout of depression have slowed the Belarussian, who clinched back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park in 2012-13.

But her 6-1, 6-1 humiliation of Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka was her eighth win in succession and further evidence the sleeping giant has awakened.

“I had a lot of changes and emotions from last year that I still didn’t know how to handle,” the 26-yearold said. “It changed my life... Starting to be happy and organised and disciplined off the court, it changed my life on the court, definitely.”

Medical emergency The medical emergency overshadowed the action on day six which saw Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza dumped out of the tour-

Wawrinka advances Following Roger Federer’s 300th victory in Grand Slams on day five and Maria Sharapova’s 600th on tour, Wawrinka notched his 400th

Adding to the surreal atmosphere at Melbourne Park, Murray was oblivious to the unfolding drama as he battled Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the neighbouring Margaret Court Arena

MELBOURNE: The Australian Open tennis championships were rocked late on Saturday when Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed during a match at Rod Laver Arena, overshadowing the world No. 2’s advance to the fourth round.

Sears, the coach of former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, collapsed while watching the Serb’s third-round clash against Madison Keys, prompting medical staff to rush to the 58-year-old’s aid.

Adding to the surreal atmosphere at Melbourne Park, Briton Murray was oblivious to the unfolding drama as he battled Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the neighbouring Margaret Court Arena.

‘DIDN’T FEEL GREAT’: Britain’s Andy Murray walks off court after his victory over Portugal’s Joao Sousa on day six of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Saturday. – AFP

Play was suspended for an hour at Rod Laver Arena, as Sears received treatment before being fitted with breathing apparatus and carried from the stadium on a stretcher. He was taken to hospital for further treatment and was being examined by a cardiologist, organisers said.

A teary-eyed Ivanovic was eventually led back to centre court to continue her match against Keys and although the Serb fought hard she fell 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“Obviously it was a tough

match,” Ivanovic said in a statement after declining post-match media commitments.

“I really wanted to win and have a chance to come back... Obviously a little bit disappointed.”

Murray, whose wife Kim Sears is due to give birth to their first child next month, completed a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over 32nd seed Sousa and was led straight from the court by an official rather than conduct the usual courtside interview.

In an unnerving coincidence, Ivanovic’s second round match was

career win with a triumph over Czech Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

The Swiss fourth seed has been battling a cold at Melbourne Park but his game was in rude health as he smashed 18 aces and 45 winners in the late afternoon sunshine at Rod Laver Arena.

“As long as I’m feeling good on the court, that’s the most important thing,” a raspy-voiced Wawrinka said.

The 30-year-old Swiss must next weather the serving storm of dark horse Milos Raonic, who despatched Canada’s Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 at the Margaret Court Arena. A quarterfinalist last year, 13th seed Raonic dedicated his win to victims of a school shooting in the remote Canadian town of La Loche, where four people were killed and a number injured on Friday.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen much back home,” he told reporters. “I’m sure not just in that small community but throughout Canada it was a lot of people that were sort of heartbroken over it.”

With a number of high seeds falling by the wayside, doors opened for lesser lights to shine.

Among them, Australia-born Johanna Konta defeated Czech Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2 to become the first British woman into the last 16 at Melbourne Park in nearly 30 years. Zhang Shuai, the last Chinese player left in the singles tournament, continued her fairytale run to reach the fourth round, having never previously been past the first round of a Grand Slam in 14 attempts. - Reuters

TENNIS

‘Aussie’ Konta wins over Melbourne Park crowds MELBOURNE: Johanna Konta spurned the country of her birth to play tennis for Britain but the Sydney-born 24-year-old has enjoyed huge support from the Melbourne Park crowds during her run to the Australian Open fourth round.

After upsetting Venus Williams in her opening round match, Konta said she had no intentions of switching allegiance back to Australia but there was no cold shoulder from the crowd at Hisense Arena on Saturday.

Konta demolished 66th ranked Czech Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2,

making her the first British woman to reach the last 16 in Australia since Jo Durie in 1987.

“I have been amazed with how much support I’ve gotten, but I don’t know if that’s a British contingent here or if that’s from my Australian roots,” Johanna Konta told reporters.

“I’m just very grateful for all the people that do come out. Whether they are supporting me or the player I’m playing against, it’s always good to have a lot of people around.

It brings good energy.”

The loss of locally born athletes

to other nations, particularly those who end up representing archrival Britain, is difficult for sportsobsessed Australia to swallow.

Switching nationality Konta has been compared by local media to Laura Robson, who was born in Melbourne but ended up winning a mixed doubles silver medal for Team Great Britain at the London Games.

Australia, however, has also embraced foreign-born tennis players, with Muscovite Daria Gavrilova switching nationality

from Russia only weeks ago — just in time to help her adopted nation win the Hopman Cup and also make a run to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Other players with more tenuous links have been ‘adopted’, including Belgian four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters, who was affectionately known as ‘Aussie Kim’ due to her relationship with local champion Lleyton Hewitt.

Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was also embraced as ‘Aussie Ana’ after she became

involved with top local golfer Adam Scott. Though a resident of Australia until her teen years, Konta has sounded like an enthusiastic tourist during her time in Melbourne and has raved about the country’s culinary delights.

“You guys need to eat passion fruit here. It’s unbelievable,” said Konta, who faces a tough match against Russian Ekaterina Makarvoa, a semifinalist last year, to reach the quarterfinals.

“And toast and chia pods. I don’t know how to say it, but, again, great.” - Reuters

HUGE SUPPORT: Johanna Konta

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SPORTS CRICKET

Lehmann in hospital SYDNEY: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has been taken to hospital suffering from deep vein thrombosis, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Saturday.

Lehmann, 45, reported a swollen left calf to team medical staff before the fifth One-day International against India in Sydney on Saturday and was sent for a scan.

He was admitted to hospital for observation overnight during the India innings and will receive treatment for the condition.

“Darren is stable but he has been advised not to fly in the short term and will therefore require a layoff before he can return to coaching,” CA’s chief medical officer John Orchard said in a statement.

Lehmann’s wife Andrea was told

of the situation and the Australia players were informed after Saturday’s match which India won by six wickets to claim a consolation victory in a series they lost 4-1.

Di Venuto in charge Batting coach Michael Di Venuto will take charge of the side for the three-match Twenty20 series against India starting on Tuesday in Adelaide.

“Our first thoughts and concerns are obviously with Darren and his family — health is more important than any cricket match,” Pat Howard, CA’s executive general manager, said. “We will assess the situation on the basis of medical advice and with Darren’s best interests in mind over the coming days.” - Reuters

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Cook steadies England after De Kock century SCOREBOARD

Cook and Root added 60 for the third wicket as England, who have won the series, look to get close to the hosts’ first-innings total of 475 on a pitch starting to show

MAIDEN TON: South Africa’s Quinton de Kock celebrates after completing his century during their fourth Test match against England in Centurion on Saturday. – Reuters

variable bounce

PRETORIA: England’s captain Alastair Cook posted his first half century of the series against South Africa with an unbeaten 67 as they finished on 138 for two, still 337 runs behind, at the close on the second day of the final Test on Saturday.

Cook and Joe Root (31 not out) added 60 for the third wicket at Centurion Park as England, who have won the series, look to get close to the hosts’ first-innings total of 475 on a pitch starting to show variable bounce.

Cook is 50 short of becoming the first England batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs. The touring side

had lost opener Alex Hales (15) cheaply before tea when he guided a wide delivery from Kagiso Rabada to Dane Piedt at point for another soft dismissal.

Nick Compton (19) became Rabada’s second victim when he fell lbw to a delivery that never got more than a foot off the ground from good length. South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock earlier reached his maiden Test century with a fluent unbeaten 129 from 128 balls before running out of partners.

De Kock smashed 17 fours and two sixes in a mixture of finesse and a brutal attack on the bowling.

“It was alright. I got a bit lucky with one or two dropped catches but I’ll take it. Hundreds don’t

FANJA RALLY TO HOLD AL AROUBA, AL NAHDA DEFEAT SAHAM

Eight-time title winners Fanja fought back to hold defending champions to a 1-1 draw in week 15 action of the Omantel Professional League at Seeb Stadium on Saturday.

Despite the draw, Al Arouba occupy the top place with 29 points while Fanja with 25 points are third behind Suwaiq (26). Earlier at the same venue, Al Shabab edged Al Musannah 1-0. At Buraimi Sports Complex, Al Nahda defeated Saham 3-1. On Friday, Suwaiq defeated Al Khabourah 1-0 while Muscat upset Al Nasr 2-1. Dhofar and Sohar were involved in a 3-3 draw while Sur and Salalah played out a 1-1 draw. Dhofar are in fourth place with 24 points followed

by Sohar (23), Al Nasr (22), Al Musannah (21) and AlNahda (20) in that order. — JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman

come around often,” De Kock told reporters. “I just play it as I see it.

If it’s in my area I will try to hit it.

That’s the way I play for my franchise and it’s no different here.”

England, after picking up the wickets of Temba Bavuma (35) and Rabada (0) early in the morning session, the tourists may have expected to run through the South Africa tail. But a stand of 50 for the eighth wicket between De Kock and Kyle Abbott (16), and 82 for the ninth with Piedt (19), kept the England in the field until 40 minutes before tea. Frustration for the touring side was exacerbated by dropped catches, including two off De Kock. England all-rounder Ben Stokes continued his fine tour

South Africa 1st innings S. Cook b Woakes 115 D. Elgar c Taylor b Ali 20 H. Amla b Stokes 109 A. de Villiers c Root b Broad 0 J. Duminy lbw Ali 16 T. Bavuma c Bairstow b Broad 35 Q. de Kock (not out) 129 K. Rabada lbw Anderson 0 K. Abbott lbw Stokes 16 D. Piedt c Bairstow b Stokes 19 M. Morkel lbw Stokes 0 Extras (b-1, lb-11, w-4) 16 Total (all out, 132 overs) 475 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-237, 3-238, 4-271, 5-273, 6-335, 7-336, 8-386, 9-468.

Bowling: J. Anderson 30-6-91-1 (w-1); S. Broad 28-4-91-2 (w-2); M. Ali 25-5-104-2; C. Woakes 22-3-91-1 (w-1); B. Stokes 27-3-86-4.

England 1st innings A. Cook (not out) 67 A. Hales c Piedt b Rabada 15 N. Compton lbw Rabada 19 J. Root (not out) 31 Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-1) 6 Total (2 wkts, 46 overs) 138 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-78.

Bowling: K. Abbott 11-5-17-0; K. Rabada 12-2-55-2 (w-1); D. Piedt 10-1-23-0; M. Morkel 11-2-29-0; D. Elgar 2-0-9-0.

with bat and ball as he finished the South Africa innings with figures of four for 86.

“It was hard work, every time we got a wicket they seemed to get back in it,” Stokes said. “Too many chances went down as well, we really let them off the hook.” - Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

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SPORTS T20

Pandey’s maiden ODI century helps India avoid whitewash Staring at a series whitewash after four defeats, India rode

REPLACEMENT: Rishi Dha-

wan. – AFP

Pandey’s scintillating

Rishi Dhawan in for injured Kumar in Indian team

104 off 81 balls to

SYDNEY: Paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar will miss India’s three-match Twenty20 series in Australia with a thumb injury and will be replaced by all-rounder Rishi Dhawan, the country’s cricket board said on Saturday.

India also brought in Gurkeerat Singh Mann, part of their one-day side in Australia, as cover for Ajinkya Rahane, who split the webbing on his right hand while fielding in Wednesday’s ODI defeat in Canberra.

In the same match, Kumar fractured the thumb in his left hand trying to stop a David Warner straight drive off his own bowling.

Adelaide will host the first Twenty20 international on Tuesday, followed by matches in Melbourne (January 29) and Sydney (January 31). - Reuters

SYDNEY: Manish Pandey struck his maiden one-day century in a high-scoring thriller to secure India a pride-salvaging six-wicket victory against Australia in the fifth and final ODI in Sydney on Saturday.

Staring at a series whitewash after four defeats, India rode Pandey’s scintillating 104 off 81 balls to chase down a 331-run victory target with two balls to spare.

Centuries from David Warner (122) and Mitchell Marsh (102) helped Australia post 330 for seven but Pandey’s knock in his only fourth one-dayer clinched the contest for India. India needed a strong start from their openers to stay on course to chase down such a big total and the visitors got just that from Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Rohit Sharma (99).

Dhawan posted his third successive 50-plus score and Rohit fell agonisingly short of his third cen-

chase down a 331-run victory target with two balls to spare

SERIES WIN: Australians celebrate after winning the ODI series against India in Sydney. – AP/PTI

tury in the series as they raised 123 runs in 18.2 overs.

John Hastings dismissed Dhawan and Virat Kohli (8) in quick successions to halt India’s progress and Rohit left leaving India needing exactly 100 runs from 91 balls to win the contest.

With the required run-rate skyrocketing and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) struggling to time the ball at the other end, Pandey’s crisp hitting left India needing 13 runs off the last over from Marsh.

Marsh began with a wide and had his next hit out of the ground by Dhoni but the Indian captain fell immediately to inject fresh drama in the contest.

Pandey, however, was unfazed and he hit the next ball for a boundary to first complete his century and then scurried for two for the winning run. Earlier, Warner struck his fifth ODI century and Mitchell Marsh notched up his first to set up yet another runfest.

India’s much-maligned bowlers did well to reduce Australia to 117 for four in the 22nd over before Warner and Marsh combined to add 118 runs in 17.3 overs. For India, Jasprit Bumrah made an impressive debut, claiming two for 40. Pandey was adjudged man-of-the-match, while Rohit Sharma won the manof-the-series award for the 441 runs he amassed in five matches. - Reuters

CRICKET

Chanderpaul retires from internationals ST. JOHN’S: West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has officially retired from international cricket, seven months after selectors opted to discard the veteran and push for a youthoriented policy.

Chanderpaul, who was dumped before the home series against Australia last June, said at the time he felt he deserved the opportunity to play one final series despite a poor return in domestic cricket before the squad was selected.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked him for his contribution to their game.

“The WICB acknowledges the invaluable contribution Shiv has made to the game globally and we wish him all the best,” WICB President Dave Cameron said in a statement.

The 41-year-old made his Test debut against England in 1994 and went on to amass 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37 in his 164 Tests for the Caribbean side. His total is the seventh highest of all time, and he finished behind Brian Lara’s 11,953 as the second most prolific West Indian batsman.

‘INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION’: Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

He scored 30 Test centuries and 66 half centuries and had a high score of 203 not out.

He also scored 8,778 runs in 268 One-day Internationals at an agerage of 41.60.

Chanderpaul’s ungainly batting stance was at odds with cricket’s coaching manuals, but soft hands and a superb eye allowed him to

flick, dab and poke the ball into gaps in the field and quietly accumulate runs.

A low conversion rate of 50s to 100s early in his career was rectified after foot surgery removed some floating bone chips and allowed him to play without pain.

Chanderpaul’s calm demeanour held together an increasingly

brittle West Indies batting lineup after the retirement of Lara and many opposition teams targeted him as the key wicket.

While selectors continue to pursue their youth policy in a bid to rebuild the once powerful cricketing side, Chanderpaul was still playing domestic first class cricket earlier this week. - Reuters

FINE TON: Manish Pandey. – AFP

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA A. Finch lbw I. Sharma 6 D. Warner c Jadeja b I. Sharma 122 S. Smith c R Sharma b Bumrah 28 G. Bailey c I. Sharma b R. Dhawan 6 S. Marsh run out 7 M. Marsh (not out) 102 M. Wade c Dhoni b U. Yadav 36 J. Faulkner b Bumrah 1 J. Hastings (not out) 2 Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-1, w-8) 20 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 330 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-64, 3-78, 4-117, 5-235, 6-320, 7-323.

Bowling: I. Sharma 10-0-60-2 (nb-1); U. Yadav 8-0-82-1 (w-1); J. Bumrah 10-0-40-2;

R. Dhawan 10-0-74-1 (w-4); R. Jadeja 10-046-0 (w-1); G. Mann 2-0-17-0.

INDIA R. Sharma c Wade b Hastings 99 S. Dhawan c S. Marsh b Hastings 78 V. Kohli c Wade b Hastings 8 M. Pandey (not out) 104 M.S. Dhoni c Warner b M. Marsh 34 G. Mann not out 0 Extras (lb-3, w-5) 8 Total (4 wkts, 49.4 overs) 331 Fall of wickets: 1-123, 2-134, 3-23, 4-325.

Bowling: J. Hastings 10-1-61-3 (w-2); S. Boland 10-0-58-0; M. Marsh 9.4-0-77-1 (w-2); J. Faulkner 10-0-54-0; N. Lyon 8-0-58-0 (w-1); S. Smith 2-0-20-0.

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

SPORTS

OMAN CRICKET

Khawar smashes ton as Enhance CT defeat Raha by 96 runs MUSCAT: Enhance CT defeated Raha CT by 96 runs in a Muscat Pharmacy and Stores-sponsored Premier Division match at the Ministry of Sports Affairs Ground during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Enhance were all out for 248 in 47 overs. Khawar Ali top scored with a brilliant 100.

Zeeshan Ahmed and Tariq Hussain claimed four and three wickets respectively for Raha CT. In reply, Raha were bowled out for 152 in 36.5 overs. Akmal Shazad and Waseem Akthar scored 58 and 49 runs respectively. Fayaz Bhut claimed five wickets for Enhance.

Brief scores: Enhance CT 248 in 47 overs (Khawar Ali 100; Zeeshan Ahmed 4/47) bt Raha CT 152 in 36.5 overs (Akmal Shazad 58; Fayaz Bhut 5/38). Points: Enhance CT - 3, Raha CT – 0.

New Media beat HJB In a Khimji Ramdas-sponsored A Division match, New Media recorded a 46-run win over HJB at the Municipality Ground I during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, New Media put on 190 for seven in 30 overs with

ENHANCE STARS: Khawar Ali, right, and Fayaz Butt. – Supplied photo

A DIVISION: New Media pose for a group photo after their victory over HJB. – Supplied photo

Abdul Aziz top scoring with 54.

Bharat Barmeda and Sayed Kazmi claimed four and three scalps each.

In reply, HJB were bowled out for 144 in 26.1 overs. Khalid Manzoor and Imran Rajiv claimed three wickets each for New Media.

bowled out for 145 in 18.3 overs.

Syad Mujjaba top scored with 38. Hafiz Muhammed claimed four wickets for SARCO. In reply, SARCO scored 146 for three in 15 overs. Akshath Dev top scored with an unbeaten 73.

Brief scores: New Media 190 for 7 in 30 overs (Abdul Aziz 54; Bharath Barmeda 4/37) bt HJB 144 in 26.1 overs (Syed Mo-

hammed 28; Imran Rajiv 3/18). Points: New Media – 3, HJB – 0.

SARCO down Huwaei In a Raha Poly Products-sponsored C Division, SARCO defeated Huwaei by seven wickets at the Municipality Ground II during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Huwaei were

Brief scores: Huwaei 145 in 18.3 overs (Syad Mujjaba 38; Hafiz Muhammed 4/19) lost to SARCO 146 for 3 in

15 overs (Akshath 73). Points: SARCO – 3, Huwaei - 0.

Bisya record win In an Al Ansari Group of Companies-sponsored B Division match, Bisya defeated Al Nahdha by 19 runs at the Municipality Ground I during the afternoon session on Friday.

Batting first, Bisya put on 184 for

nine in 18 overs. Adnan top scored with 65. Aqledas claimed three wickets for Al Nahdha. In reply, Al Nahdha were bowled out for 165 in 15.1 overs. Babar Malik top scored with 58. Adnan took four wickets.

Brief scores: Bisya 184 for 9 in 20 overs (Adnan 65; Aqledas 3/20) bt Al Nahdha 165 in 15.1 overs (Babar Malik 58; Adnan 4/28). Points: Bisya – 2, Al Nahdha – 0.

Leicester back on top, Liverpool win thriller

LA LIGA

With Arsenal playing Chelsea on Sunday, Leicester moved SUPERB STRIKE: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, right, celebrates after

three points clear of

scoring a goal during their La Liga match against Malaga CF at La Rosaleda Stadium in Malaga on Saturday. – AFP

the Gunners with 15

Messi goal lifts Barca to win over Malaga MADRID: Barcelona leapfrogged Atletico Madrid to go top of La Liga after Lionel Messi’s acrobatic volley secured a hardfought 2-1 victory against tenacious Malaga on Saturday.

Munir El Haddadi, deployed up front in place of the injured Neymar, fired Barca ahead in the second minute at the Rosaleda Stadium on the south coast after smart work from Luis Suarez.

However, the visitors were unable to exert their customary control and Malaga, whose relentless pressing unsettled the Spanish and European champions, netted a deserved equaliser in the 32nd minute.

Javier Mascherano surrendered possession in a dangerous area and the ball fell to midfielder Juanpi whose shot was deflected in off the former Liverpool player as he slid across to block.

Messi was back in the side after

sitting out Wednesday’s 2-1 King’s Cup triumph at Athletic Bilbao as a precaution but the FIFA Ballon d’Or winner was largely anonymous in the first half.

Barca were much improved in the second period and took a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute when Messi cracked Adriano’s cross past keeper Carlos Kameni. Visiting keeper Claudio Bravo then did well to palm away a shot from Ignacio Camacho in the 73rd minute and Kameni denied Messi a second with a superb one-handed save two minutes from time.

Barca are on 48 points, one ahead of Atletico before Diego Simeone’s side host seventhplaced Sevilla (32) on Sunday.

Real Madrid are four points adrift of Atletico in third place ahead of Sunday’s trip to Real Betis who are 15th on 21 points.

Qatar-owned Malaga are 12th on 24 points. - Reuters

games remaining

LONDON: Leicester City returned to winning ways and the top of the Premier League with a convincing 3-0 victory at home to Stoke City after Liverpool kick-started Saturday’s action with an extraordinary 5-4 win at Norwich City.

With Arsenal playing Chelsea on Sunday, Leicester moved three points clear of the Gunners with 15 games remaining as Danny Drinkwater, Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa scored to seal a first league win in five for Claudio Ranieri’s title chasers.

Liverpool had trailed 3-1 at Norwich City in the second half but fought back to level with goals from Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino before James Milner put them ahead.

Norwich defender Sebastian Bassong looked to have salvaged a point with a stoppage-time header before Adam Lallana decided the outcome of a roller-coaster game with Liverpool’s winner to move Juergen Klopp’s inconsistent side up to seventh.

Eight players were on the score-

FACILE VICTORY: Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against

Stoke City during their Premier League game at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Saturday. – Reuters

sheet in only the fourth Premier League match to finish 5-4.

Fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur’s title push continued as they recovered from Jan Vertonghen’s own goal at Crystal Palace to win 3-1 — Harry Kane, Dele Alli, with a stunning volley, and Nacer Chadli scoring after halftime.

Leicester have 47 points, Arsenal 44 and Manchester City have 43

points. Spurs are on 42, five clear of Manchester United who suffered a 1-0 defeat by Southampton on another frustrating afternoon for the United faithful at Old Trafford.

Saints’ Charlie Austin scored in the 87th minute on his debut, prompting more loud boos aimed at under-pressure United manager Louis van Gaal from the home fans at the final whistle.

None of the sides at the bottom helped their causes.

Bottom club Aston Villa remain six poins adrift of the rest after a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion, while the sides immediately above them also missed out on victory. Sunderland, in 19th spot, drew 1-1 at home to Bournemouth while Newcastle United went down 2-1 at mid-table Watford. - Reuters

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LIFESTYLE

SECTION

Health WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Hygiene Standards for a Healthy Home However clean our homes look, germs can still be lurking in every nook and corner causing several health problems. So let’s keep our homes clean for a healthy living.

Story Hubert Vaz

K

eeping your home spic and span is one way of ensuring that diseases stay away and good health abounds among all the family members. Doctors say that there is no substitute for hygiene at home as it is the key to good health. According to Dr Sreenivas Venkataraman, Internist, Al Hayat International Hospital, “hygiene at home begins with good housekeeping.

All homes require regular cleaning, dry mopping followed by wet mopping with a disinfectant, at least once a day, or twice a day if possible. All bathrooms have to be cleaned everyday and disinfected every alternate day. It is also important to keep bathroom floors and surfaces dry because that prevents the growth and spread of bacteria.”

Microbiologist Professor Sally Bloomfield, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says good hygiene practices are the best ways to tackle antibiotic resistance. Good hygiene habits mean fewer infections, fewer patients needing antibiotics, and fewer diseases, he asserts. Virologist John Oxford, chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Barts and The London, says that people don’t think of the home as a source of infection. “Most people have no idea how critical the simple act of washing their hands is in preventing the spread of infection,” he observes in

an article on home hygiene published in NHS Choices.

In fact, there are some areas in every home which need attention every day to reduce the spread of germs. These include the living room, kitchen, and bathroom wherein cleaning routines have to be carried out daily, even twice a day, if needed. While all door knobs, handles, taps, and work surfaces must be frequently sanitised, utensils must be washed thoroughly with hot water and detergent before and after use.

It’s also a good idea to move the refrigerator, freezer, and cooking range from its usual place and thoroughly clean behind them besides preventing cross-contamination inside the refrigerator by wiping up spills and disinfecting contaminated surfaces. To remove dust and diseasecausing debris, regular vacuuming of carpets and soft furnishings are necessary besides periodically washing carpets and drapes. Make sure to dry all surfaces to help prevent the growth of mould.

The kitchen is a source of all types of bacteria which can multiply into thousands within an hour, Dr Sreenivas said stressing on the importance of segregating kitchen waste (as biodegradable and non-biodegradable) before rendering them to community bins. Work platforms and gas stove surfaces also need to be cleaned thoroughly with disinfectants before starting the preparation of

food to ensure that everything is clean and hygienic, he said adding that kitchen sponges need to be cleaned thoroughly after every use and replaced every week to avoid the spread of bacteria.

With regard to storage of food stuff, all perishables (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry) need to be washed properly and stored in separate containers in the proper section in the refrigerator. It is good to consume fish or meat within 2448 hours, rather than stocking raw food for weeks. Also, all utensils, work surfaces, and mixers and grinders, need to be cleaned thoroughly before and after use.

Two types of infections spread among members in the home, viral and bacterial.

Viral infections concern the upper respiratory tract (sore throat, cold, cough, congestion) and the patient needs to observe good personal hygiene as well as wear face masks so that other members do not contract it. Bacterial infections which cause loose motions or vomiting can also be prevented by proper disinfection control within the house, Dr Sreenivas explains.

Lastly, pets and children need to be kept away from the kitchen at all times.

Those who have pets at home need to vaccinate them against diseases periodically besides bathing or grooming them regularly to ensure proper hygiene at home, he adds.

—hubert@timesofoman.com

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

C6

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

FIND-IT-ALL

PRAYER TIMINGS

@SHATTI

@SALALAH

Gethu (Action / Thriller) – Tami - PG Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Vikranth 6.45 PM

@SUR

SUR The Fifth Wave (Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Chole Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Maika Monroe 5:50 PM Airlift (Hindi) (Drama |History) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 6:20, 9:30PM 2 Countries (Malayalam) (PG12) Cast: Dilip, Mamata Mohandas 10: 30PM The Boy (Horror | Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 4:00, 8:35, 11.45 PM. Ride Along 2 (Adventure) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumter.

4:30, 7:40PM.

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI The 5th Wave (2D) (Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson Timing: 2:30, 6:45, 11:30 PM The Revenant (2D) (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 8:30PM Ride Along 2 (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 4:45, 9:45, 11:45PM The Hateful Eight (2D) (Crime) (12+) Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 2:30PM Our Brand is Crisis (2D) (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 5:45, 7:45PM Dirty Grandpa (2D) (Comedy) (15+) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 2:30, 6:45PM The Boy (2D) (Horror | Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 11:30 PM Airlift (2D) (Drama | History | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 4:15, 9:00PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Dirty Grandpa (Comedy)(15+) Cast : Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 12:15PM & 7:30PM Airlift (Drama, History, Thriller) (12+) Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 2:15,9:00 & 11:30PM Gold Class - 6:00PM Ride Along 2 (Action | Comedy) 15+ Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 12:00, 7:00 & 11:30PM Gold Class - 3:30 & 8:30PM The Fifth Wave (Adventure | Sci-Fi) PG12 Cast : Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson

The Boy (2D) (Horror | Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 11:30 PM

Dirty Grandpa (2D) (15+) (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 10:30AM & 3:55PM

4:45 & 9:30PM Gold Class - 11:00PM Norm of the North (Animation) PG12 Cast : Rob Schneider, Heather Graham 3:45PM The Peanut Movie - (Animation) PG Voice Over: (Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez) 2:00PM The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U 5:30PM PANORAMA MALL Our Brand is Crisis (2D)(PG) Cast : Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 2:30 & 6:30PM Airlift (2D)(12+) Cast : Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:30, 06:15, 8:45, 11:15PM Airlift (2D) (12+)-VIP LOUNGE 8:30PM Ride Along 2 (Action, Comedy)(2D)(15+) Cast : Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 2:30, 4:30, 9:30, 11:30PM RIDE ALONG 2 (Action)(2D)-VIP LOUNGE 6:30, 11:00PM The Fifth Wave (ci-fi)(MX4D)(PG12)

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

2 Countries (Malaylam) – 2D (PG12) Comedy Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 8:25PM Wazir – 2D (PG12) Hindi| Action| Thriller Cast: Amitabh Bacchan, Farhan Akhtar 4:30, 11:30PM Bajirao Mastani – 2D (PG12) Drama, History Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 3:15 PM The Revenant – 2D (12+) Drama | Thriller Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 3:15, 11:45PM

AZAIBA Airlift – 2D (PG12) Drama/ History/ Thriller Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:00, 5:30, 6:30, 8:00, 10:30, 11:30PM Rajini Murugan (Tamil) – 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: Shivakarthekeyen, Keerthi Suresh 8:35PM Our Brand Is Crisis – 2D (PG) Comedy Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 2:30, 6:15PM Gethu (Tamil) – 2D (PG) Action/ Comedy Cast: Udayanidhi Stalin, Amy Jackson 6:15, 9:00 PM

RUWI Screen 1 Airlift (Action / Thriller) –12+ Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3.30, 6.30, 9.30PM Screen 2 Wazir (Action / Thriller) – PG12 Cast: Amitabh Bacchan, Farhan Akhtar 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM Screen 3 Bajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone 3.45, 9.45 PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

Marmul

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

07:00

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

SALALAH Dirty Grandpa (2D) (15+) (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 10:30AM & 3:55PM Ride Along 2 (2D) (15+) (Action | Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 10:45AM, 2:00, 6:50, 9:15 & 11:45PM The Boy (2D) (15+) (Horror, Thriller) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell 5:10, 11:55PM The Fifth Wave (2D) (PG12) (Adventure) Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 12:30, 2:40, 7:05PM The Hateful Eight (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 6:05PM Airlift (2D) (12+) (Drama, History, and Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 11:30AM, 2:45 ,9:15 & 11:15PM 2 Countries (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam) Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 8:50PM Our Brand is Crisis (2D) (PG12) (Comedy) Cast Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton 12:40, 4:45PM

26 16

11.45 13.30 14.00

STAR CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

2 Countries (Mal) (Drama/Comedy) Cast: Dileep & Mamta Mohandas 3:00, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema Main Rajani Murugan (Tamil) ( Com /Rom) Cast: Sivakarthikcyan & Keertht Suresh 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30PM Cinema - 2 Dictator (Telugu) (Action/ Comedy) Cast: Balakrishna & Anjali 3:45PM Cinema -3 & 6:45PM Cinema -4 Airlift (Hindi) (Act\ Thriller) Cast: Akshay Kumar & Nimrat Kaur 6:45 & 9:45PM Cinema- 3 Gethu (Tamil) (Com\ Drama) Cast: Udhanidhi & Amy Jackson 3:45 & 9:45PM Cinema -4

Programmes are subject to change

WITH LOVE

MOHD NIDAL January 24, 2012

Minimum

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

30-75%

ATHUL A.S. January 24, 2009 Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

LISTINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

Nizwa Ruwi

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 06:00

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

10:25

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Ruwi

Our Brand Is Crisis: (Comedy / Drama) Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie 2.00, 4.00, 8.00 & 11.55PM CP No: 122 (PG) The Boy: (Horror / Thriller) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, James Russell 4.00, 6.00, 10.00 & 11.55PM CP No: 123 (15+) Dirty Grandpa: (Comedy) Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch 2.00, 6.00 & 10.00PM CP No : 124 (15+) Ride Along 2: (Action / Comedy) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 8.00PM CP No: 112 (15+)

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

07:00

BURAIMI Ride Along 2– 2D (Action, Comedy) (15+) Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 3:15, 5:15, 9:30, 11:30PM The Boy – 2D (Horror, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 5:00, 11:45PM The Fifth Wave– 2D (Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 3:00, 6:00, 9:45PM Rajini Murugan– 2D (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Shivakarthekeyen, Keerthi Suresh 8:00PM Airlift – 2D (Drama, History, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:30, 7:00, 11:00PM 2 Countries– 2D (Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 6:45PM

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

BAHJA CINEMA

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SOHAR The Revenant - 2D (12+) Adventure | Thriller Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 3:00 PM The Fifth Wave - 2D (PG12) | Sci-Fi | Thriller Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 6:30, 9:30, 11:45 PM The Hateful Eight - 2D (12+) Comedy Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 3:15 PM Ride Along 2 - 2D (15+) Action | Comedy Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter 5:00 , 11:30 PM Airlift - 2D (12+) Drama | History | Thriller Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 3:45, 7:00, 8:45, 11:15 PM The Boy - 2D (15+) Horror | Thriller Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans 3:00, 11:45 PM Min Dahar Ragel - 2D (Arb) (TBC) Drama Cast: Asser Yassin, Yasmin Raeis 5:50 PM Rajini Murugan - 2D (T) (PG) Comedy Cast: Shivakarthekeyen, Keerthi Suresh 8:30 PM Gethu - 2D (T) (PG )Action | Comedy Cast: Udayanidhi Stalin, Amy Jackson 6:15 PM 2 Countries- 2D (M) (PG) Comedy

Cast: Dilip, Mamta Mohandas 8:45 PM

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

Airlift - (Hindi) (Drama |History) (12+) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur 6:20, 9:30PM

Cast : Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson 3:45, 6:30,8:45, 11:00PM The Fifth Wave (Sci-fi)(2D)(PG12) 4:30, 11:30PM The Hateful Eight (Comedy)(2D)(12+) Cast : Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell 6:30PM The Revenant (Adventure, Drama)(2D)(12+) Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 8:30PM The Revenant (2D)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE 3:30PM

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Destination

12.24pm 3.31pm 5.52pm 7.06pm 5.32am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

C7

LIFESTYLE FA M I LY A D V I C E

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Aromatic Healing

A

romatherapy involves the use of natural oils extracted from flowers, leaves, stems, and roots of plants, for enhancing and improving physical and mental wellbeing. While the aroma from such natural oils, when inhaled, is said to soothe as well as stimulate the brain, the oils also have a therapeutic effect when absorbed by the skin and transferred into the blood stream. The practice of using aromatic oils to induce wellbeing is thought to have roots in China but some also say that it originated in Greece. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is believed to have treated people with aroma oils, using their therapeutic effects in many different ways.

However, aromatherapy actually began gaining ground towards the mid-twentieth century when their efficacy was noticed when used to treat burn injuries.

Varied Use The aromas of essential oils can be employed in different ways to induce wellbeing and healing. You

may add them to your bath water, use them for a massage or even inhale their vapours when added to hot water or warmed up on a low candle flame. One may also add a few drops of essential oils to your favourite cream or lotion before application. Relief from pain can also be gained by applying a compress with a washcloth dipped in warm water with a few drops of aromatic oils.

Essential Oils Bergamot, a citrus-scented essential oil extracted from the Citrus Beragamia tree, opens the heart chakra. Hence, it is used for uplifting the mind, and relieving anxiety, stress and depression.

Cedarwood, a woody-scented essential oil from the Juniperus Virginiana tree, is used as a calming agent and for easing respiratory problems or skin disorders.

Chamomile, extracted from the leaves of the flowering plant of the same name, is used not just a calming agent, but also as an antibiotic, antiseptic, and antidepressant. It is often used to treat urinary tract

The aromas of essential oils can be employed in different ways to induce wellbeing and healing

and digestive inflammation.

Eucalyptus oil comes from the Eucalyptus tree, native to Australia. It is effective against respiratory diseases as well as can be used to improve concentration.

Jasmine, extracted from the Jasminum grandiflorum, has been known to ease depression. It is also used for respiratory problems.

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils because of its healing properties against colds, flu and migraine.

Lemon is a favourite essential oil with numerous therapeutic qualities. It is used to improve concen-

tration, aid digestion, clear acne and soothe arthritis.

Sandalwood, easily recognised by its woody fragrance, helps to alleviate chest pain. It is also used as a relaxing agent for tension relief.

Rose oil is powerful for treating issues concerning females. It also helps in relieving depression, anxiety, digestion issues, heart problems and respiratory conditions like asthma.

Peppermint has a refreshing effect and is widely used to enhance moods, sharpens focus, combats irritation, and alleviate symptoms of congestion.

Buy What Suits You Here in Muscat one can purchase aroma oils in Muscat Pharmacy (+968 2481 4501) outlets, as well as at some departmental stores, and spas. Follow the instructions for use on each pack to gain the benefits right at home. Being comfortable with the aroma of each essential oil is the first step towards treatment as every individual has a different choice with regard to aromas. —hubert@timesofoman.com

ASK DR. GERRY

Someone is Taking a Special Interest Dear Dr Gerry, I am a 17-year-old boy studying in Grade 12. Recently, I have noticed that one of my classmates has started taking special interest in me.

She keeps coming to talk to me all the time and also calls me at home very often. I think she has fallen in love with me but I do not want to get into this as this year is crucial for my studies. How should I deal with this as there is no reason to be rude with her? She is a good friend and I want her to remain just that.

— Vikas Dear Vikas, I agree with you. This is a crucial for your studies and you really need to concentrate on them. Often teenagers get distracted in this crucial year and end up paying a heavy price. So how do we deal with her?

She’s a friend and I understand you don’t want to be rude to her. I would suggest talking with her in general terms. Explain to her how this year is important for your future and you need to keep life simple.

You need to focus on your studies and avoid any distractions. She’s in the same class and also needs to consider her goals. Hopefully she should get the hint. Remember concentrate on your dreams and work for them. Good luck my friend and all the best for the exams.

Dr. G

Dr Gerry D’Costa has an MD in psychiatry and a special interest in the areas of anxiety, depression, addiction, and children’s psychiatry. He has practised as a specialised psychiatrist at Badr Al Samaa hospital in Ruwi for the last 9 years.

Dr D’Costa offers advice and professional insights to the readers of Times of Oman. Send your queries to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

MOVE OF THE WEEK

Be a Superman If you’ve seen children play superman by lying flat on the floor or a table, now’s your chance to make the most of this simple exercise. Lie straight on your stomach with outstretched arms over your head and toes pointing backwards. Then slowly exhale as you lift your arms and legs together slightly off the ground, keeping your face aligned with your spine. Then inhale as you lower your hands and feet back to the starting position. Do a set of 10-12 repetitions.

Muscles worked:

Burn up to

100 CALORIES in 15 minutes

Do 3 sets, burn

25 CALORIES

ERECTOR SPINAE GLUTEALS HAMSTRINGS

C8

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

LIFESTYLE

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D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D7

D2

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

E t &ůĂƚƐ Θ ^ŚŽǁƌŽŽŵƐ ĨŽƌ ZĞŶƚ 1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at DƵƩ ƌĂŚ͕ ŶĞĂƌ KŵĂŶ Ň ŽƵƌ ŵŝůůƐ͕ ϭϬ ŵŝŶ͘ ĨƌŽŵ ĐŽƌŶŝĐŚĞ͘ ĞƋƵŝƉƉĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƉůŝƚͬ ĐĂƐƐĞƩ Ğ ƵŶŝƚ Ɛ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ĨƌĞĞͲ ƚŽͲĂŝƌ ĚŝƐŚ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ͕ ds ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌĞĚ͕ ďĂƐĞŵĞŶƚ ƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ͘ ZĞŶƚ ZK͘ϮϱϬͬϯϱϬͬϰϱϬ ;EĞŐŽƟ ĂďůĞͿ ƉĞƌ ŵŽŶƚŚ͘

*Tourist visa arranged

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϵϮϮϵϮϲϯ͖ ϵϯϮϮϭϬϱϰ͖ ϵϱϮϭϱϮϴϵ

3 Bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162 BHK apartment for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel.

Contact: 95124975 4 BHK with terrace near Raymond Ruwi in market on road. Contact: 99056900/99354975

Big office for rent in CBD (Ruwi) road ready to shifting with AC and partitions. Contact: 92345250 Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151 Flats two bed room for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151

New flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 98185135

1BHK near Indian school Darsait Junior , 2 room , 2 bathroom , kitchen Monthly rent R.O 225/-.

Contact: 98320476/92459806

A big room available for Muslim couple / small family executive bachelor near Hamriya R/A rent 130/- OMR, including water / Electricity. Contact: 99495131

Room, toilet and sharing kitchen for family near Azaiba Bank Muscat. Contact: 96755127

Residential cum commercial 2BHK available in MBD at 280/-.

Contact: 96332793 Villa in Al Khoud for staff accommodation, like nurses or teachers can accommodate. Rent RO.1200/-.

Contact - 91178282 Single room attach bath with kitchen in Muscat 100/- R.O. Contact: 95094028

1&2 BHK flat in Walja.

Contact: 98218279 1000 sqmtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud, Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land line Contact: 24834644 GSM 93994401/02/03 3 lines

New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats include 1 living room, 2 Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every room with split A/C & high Quality finishing, rent per flat is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 92225523 2 bed rooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 92584715/ 24700120 2BHK modern & spacious flats with split AC for rent in Qurum near PDO Gate No.2.

Contact: 94057023

2BHK new bldg for families Al Khuwair 17/2. Contact: 91403136 Flat available in Muttrah Corniche near Gold Souq (4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen with balcony).

Contact: 24707088 / 91405015 3BHK flat for rent in Ghubra.

Contac: 99328070 1000 sqm industrial land with compound well & two rooms at Misfah. #99342733/ 99795241 Store / warehouse for rent 52 sqm at Maabela Sinaiya.

Contact: 92454170

02 BHK Commercial / Residential (with split AC) flat at Honda road.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

2BHK flats with split AC available for rent at Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 94057023

Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi, MBD area & Honda road.

Contact: 92589235/ 94579531

Flat for rent (Walja) Ruwi 2 rooms, 2 toilets & kitchen for enquiry.

Contact: 95464608 or 95464607

Flats for rent 2BHK, 1 BHK with AC new building at Wadi Al Kabir behind Muscat Bakery.

Contact: 92103604

2 bedroom centrally air conditioned flat in CBD, Central Bank area. Contact: 24714625 / 99053493

02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nadha hospital.

Contact : 99342733 /99795241

2 BHK near Khamis shoes Honda road Junction. Contact: 99737562

Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi MBD Honda road.

Contact: 92433127 / 97293708 Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy near to Al Nahdha Hospital and single bedroom flat near to Indian School Al Ghubrah. Contact: 99203954

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454 2BHK flat for rent Darsait near ISM. Contact: 95158570 / 99102255 2 bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 220/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

D3

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

FOR SALEP ASHOK LEYLAND BUS 2 NOS MODEL 2010 & MODEL 2012 SEATING 66, GOOD CONDITION TOYOTA INNOVA MODEL 2011, 7 SEATER, VERY GOOD CONDITION

CONTACT: 99413089 FOR RENT

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

FLATS FOR RENT In a Luxury Building in Al Seeb Market Near Police station Call: 99888007 - 99473500

Flats in Darsait.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact - 9405178997201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

2 Room + hall & kitchen ,3 toilets in Bareeq Al Shatti 750 RO. Contact: 99314314 1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/& 350/-. Contact: 97799175 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288 Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact: 24833972/ 24833974/ 99367448

Duplex villa in Qurum 29. Contact - 94051789-97201688

FOR RENT 2BHK, 3 washroom Flat with Split Air Conditioners Near Lulu Darsait CONTACT :

Flat for rent in CBD area - Ruwi Two rooms and a large hall •Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on the main road On the same building of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail •2 bed room flats in Qurum 29 for rent next to ABA New building -split AC - Good location

93202733

Contact No: 96177505

FOR RENT

2BHK Sitting room, 3 bathrooms, split AC big balcony 300/- R.O in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99324402

2 BHK, 1 BHK flats available in Al Khuwair, Ruwi and CBD area.

Al Younis Trading 7 Cont. Est

Contact: 24707088 / 91405015 Flats available for rent at Al Ghubra. Contact 99876576 & 93656672 Brand new Twin Villas in Mawaleh South 4BR; 2Halls; External Kitchen and Maids room.

Contact: 99414106 Commercial / residential flats in a new building for rent near Muttrah Police Station residential 1BHK / 2BHK more details.

Contact: 99364735 / 95729711

Flat in Khoud near Mazoon Mosque with 3 bedrooms, living room, 3 toilets, RO 250/- with A/C. Contact 95328147 Flats for rent in Muscat.

Contact: 99262605.

Flat for rent in Wadi Al Kabeer near the Kuwaiti Mosque, for more information. Contact: 99425958 Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from Corniche.Equipped with split unit ACs, internet points, free-to-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking.

Rent RO.250/350 per month.

Contact:99229263; 93221054; 95215289 3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Apartment for rent in Muscat Sidab beside road ground floor 3 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms.

Guestroom, Kitchen & hall.

Contact: 99277377

FOR HIRE

FOR SALE

BUILDING

FOR SALE MUMTAZ AREA (NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

CONTACT - 99353931 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact - 9405178997201688

FOR SALE

Household items & furniture in excellent condition for sale. Indian expat leaving for good.

Contact Ravi : 93380408 Beauty Salon for urgent sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al Fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411 Restaurant items for sale.

Contact: 96772479 /98428507

Dialysis Machine(DBO7) - Available 10 Units for Sale .

Contact : 94306662 or Email : ahdialysis1010@gmail.com

MV SALE Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy, near Al Nahdha Hospital. Contact 99203954 Furnished room available for executive bachelor in Ruwi area.

Contact: 99054542 Furnished room available with attached bath & balcony near MBD. Contact: 97636432 Room available for executive bachelor in MBD with kitchen on sharing basis. Contact: 96332793

1& 2 bedroom apartments available for rent at Ghubra near Grand mall, 6 bedroom villas available for rent Al Mouj (Wave) at Al Hail.

Contact: 99833747

Filling material for sale in Muscat. Contact: 93299940 Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808-97201688

Hail Independent rooms RO 140/& 160/-. Contact 95529970

Furnished offices in business center behind Al Burj Hotel Ruwi with all facilities included.

Contact: 99331181

Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). Contact - 9505680897201688

Furnished room at Hilat Al Saad with TV, AC, fridge near main road.

Contact : 95714202

Beauty parlor for sale in good condition at Ghubra.

Contact: 98178135

Couple or bachelor room in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 91165580 / 95264549

Excavation contracts worth RO 2 million + Big Volvo Excavators & 2015 Astra 5 tippers for sale. Contact: 99120532 / 98867530

Room available Walja. Contact : 95382651 / 95382650

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 / 92144045 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North. Contact - 96420432 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact:91214849/ 99364735 One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610

Dental Lab for sale Seeb.

Contact: 99826435 Master Chef restaurant Al Hail for sale 8 visas clearance available.

Contact: 91205000 3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year warranty. Contact: 98883445 Restaurant & Coffee Shop for sale in Ghala area. For details contact 99072003 / 99299712

Low bed Trailer (PDO – SPC) available monthly / daily for Rent.

Contact: 96633970

ACC. AVAILABLE

New 1BHK fully furnished for R.O 275/- at Wadi Kabir near Al Hassan. Contact: 92577929

Fully furnished deluxe villa behind Khimji Mart Darsait.

Contact: 99331181

Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299

Semi furnished spacious room with attached washroom separate entrance near Indian school Al Ghobrah for non cooking Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598 Furnished bedrooms for Indian Executives / couple at Al Ansab.

Contact: 96366282 Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for executive bachelor opposite OC centre Ruwi. Call: 92273779 Furnished room with a/bathroom in Al Khuwair33 for Indian Executive. Call: 95234062

Tucson Automatic 2007 V – 6, net R.O 1600/-. Contact: 99384640 Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edition.OMR 7200. Contact -99466773 Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor.

Contact - 98805474 Furnished room & bath Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261 Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466

D4

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiďŹ eds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT A leading company in travels & tourism, accredited by IATA requires:

Sales Executive for Travels & Tourism: Experience not less than 3 years in one of the travels & Tourism, must have a driving license.

Sales Executive for Car Rental: Experience not less than 4 years in one rent a car company, must have a driving license.

Notes: - You must determine which position did you applied for it as email subject - The company will not see at any demand without subject.

Email: nrtvacancies@gmail.com

REQUIRED FIBER OPTIC PROJECTS MANAGER, should have GCC experience 5-10 years

Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.

Contact -91262604 Email: chillapalli76@gmail.com

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

Auto Electrician cum A/c Mechanic

3 SALESMEN

for Workshop

Requires minimum 3 years experience and valid Omani driving license.

Candidate must have a minimum 2 to 3 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in assembly, installation, maintenance and repairs of automotive refrigeration, air-conditioning systems and chiller units.

Interested candidates please Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on saab2803@gmail.com

He should be well conversant in repair and troubleshooting of electrical faults and experienced in using computerized diagnostic systems.

He should be ITI/DME (Auto) qualified.

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kindly send your CV to oilndgasoman@gmail.com

Interested candidates email cv on

krauto@kr.om or contact on 99440518 FOR COMPANIES SEEKING OMANI EMPLOYEES We have a batch of skilled Omani candidates in Administration, HR, Account & Reception ready to join different companies in a month We will also provide training for Omani candidates as per your need like Cashier, Teller, HR, Admin, Sales, Stores, Customer service etc., t Ä&#x2021; F *OTUJUVUF XJMM JEFOUJGZ UIF QPUFOUJBM DBOEJEBUFT JOUFSWJFX UIFN BOE select the suitable candidates in consultation with your officials. t Ä&#x2021; F FOUJSF DPTU PG USBJOJOH XJMM CF CPSOF CZ UIF (PWFSONFOU %VSJOH training the company will not incur any cost like salaries & training. t Ä&#x2021; F *OTUJUVUF XJMM USBJO UIFN GPS B QFSJPE PG UP NPOUIT BT QFS UIF program. t 'SPN UIF EBUF USBJOJOH TUBSUT XJUI VT ZPV BSF GVMÄ&#x2022; MMJOH UIF PNBOJ[BUJPO requirement. The candidate will stay at least for a year without leaving the job.

For any queries contact us: 26862210, 93677745 & 93677795 Fax: 26861710 email: ojt@aifas.net, www.aifas.net

URGENTLY REQUIRED A LEADING TRADING AND CONTRACTING COMPANY IS LOOKING FOR AN EFFICIENT

FEMALE SECRETARY

SITUATION WANTED

WITH MINIMUM 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE. SHE SHOULD BE FLUENT IN SPOKEN AND WRITTEN ENGLISH. MUST BE FULLY COVERSANT WITH WORD/EXCEL PROGRAMMES AND BE PLEASANT/PRESENTABLE.

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SALARY ETCâ&#x20AC;Ś.GOOD PACKAGE WIL BE NEGOTIATED FOR THE RIGHT PERSON.

FAX CV TO 24619102 OR E MAIL; artco@omantel.net.om

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Required female Accountant postgraduate in commerce email: mailcv7@gmail.com fax: 24784202 We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience. Contact: +968 24702133 Email: admin-dept@daud.om

CATERING Chinese / Arab/ Grill, cooks.

Contact: 95529970 Wanted experienced English speaking Continental Cook for reputed house in Qurum.

Contact 99466062

DOMESTIC HELP Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 / 99238121, mail: ravi.ztc@omzest.com

DRIVER Required experienced Omani drivers for a reputed courier company walk in interview on 25/1/2015. Please come with your Bio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Data and 2 reference letters.

Contact: 99424407 for details Heavy duty driver with valid Oman Heavy Duty license, with 4 years experience. PDO License holder preferred. Call: 99221683 Driver available with release.

Contact: 93885404

MEDICAL Urgently required GP, Gynecologist, Dentist, Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Pharmacist, For a medical centre in Muscat.

Email : ruwistar@hotmail.com.

Tel: 92603863

Reputed Construction Company require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Urgently required building Technician for inquiries.

Contact: 98111363 Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227 Required Maintenance Technician (male - 1) - should have knowledge of new devices & 3 years Oman experience.

Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gsheild9@gmail.com

IT Required male Omani / Filipino, 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 35 yrs as IT Coordinator. Fluent in English, to handle all Web Designing aspects, Mail Campaigns management, Technical Support / Troubleshooting. Contact 91371231

Finance & accounts 25 years Oman experienced WHO can handle accounts up to ďŹ nalization job costing, receivable payable age wise analysis and timely followers with D/L & NOC. Contact: 94070799

Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appointment. Contact : 99310590 Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and beneďŹ ts.

Drop your cv at 0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

Wanted Driver. Contact: 91025698 Required lady photographer for studio. Contact: 99020458 Email: mohdautocentre@gmail.com Urgently required a lady to work in the studio shop and must have experience. Contact: 95097722 Urgently required for a reputed company in Oman (Tyre, Battery & Lubricant division) Sr. Executives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Nizwa & Muscat), Techno Commercial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same ďŹ eld with market exposure holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to ashwin@taasintl.org Contact: (+968)93891700

SKILLED LABOR Immediate Requirements for experienced Tailors (Designer wears, casual clothing). Please call for interview 99471085 Looking for experienced construction laborers as a subcontractor for a villa construction in Mawaleh.

Contact: 96203333

Indian Accountant professional with 3 years experience currently on visit visa looking for suitable job openings. Contact: 92390604 Email: sachinkokkatt@gmail.com

Presently working as ďŹ nance accountant having 16 years experience in Oman with Oman D/L looking for new placement NOC available. Contact: 95060390

Wanted Gynecologist, General Practitioner, Assistant Pharmacist for immediate appointment.

Contact 97884856/ mail CV to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sarita_h23@yahoo.com

Urgently required a man to work in the studio shop inside, outdoor and should know to get business from outside.

Contact: 95097722

Female Accountant Indian with 3 years exp in Oman looking for suitable job. Contact: 98418533/ 99338639

Indian male (25) B.com 6 years experience in accountant seeking suitable placement accountant, admin, sales visit visa.

Contact: 98437731 Email: faisadcpsy@gmail.com

We require licensed General Practitioner, General dentist and male Asst. Pharmacist. Contact 93129219 or CV to clinicrecruitment2015@gmail.com

Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al Khoudh. Call -91159905 Send CV to sameer916@hotmail.com

Indian male, 28, Post Graduate, 6 years exp. in Oman in Sales and Credit Control , with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placements.

NOC available. Ph: 9206 6523

Accounting, B.Com, 2 yrs experience in India Tally ERP 9, Peach tree accounting quick books, accounting SMACC busy advanced Excel power point E-ďŹ ling of statutory return visa date 24.12.15, visit exp.

23.01.2015. Contact 90439594

Urgently required Office Staff/ Manager for medical equipment import office in Ruwi.

Email: ruwistar@hotmail.com, Tel: 92603863

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male B.com accountant with 9 years ( 8 yr Oman) experience seeking suitable placement immediately ( NOC available ).

Contact: 98624850

SALES / MARKETING Sales for a printing press Whatsapp Only. Contact: 95955729 Required Salesman for Electronic & mobile devices (male - 2) should have 3 years Oman experience. Contact: 94441111. Send CV to email: gsheild9@gmail.com Sales Executive required in Muttrah, Muscat Oman experience & driving license is must.

Contact: 91710453 / 24711695 Email: salesaetOman@gmail.com Marketing Executive required for tyres & batteries.

Contact: 99020458 Email: mohdautocentre@gmail.com Urgently required Sales Executive with experience in printing press line with driving license.

Contact: 00968 95948142 Email: al_bpp@yahoo.com Salesman require for building material with driving license & 10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store) An excellent Grade company requires experience Salesman for indoor and outdoor with Oman driving license. Mail your CV to salesppeoman@gmail.com Looking for Sales Executive for a ďŹ berglass Company in Oman.

Should have 5 yrs experience in ďŹ ber glass / construction ďŹ eld.

Should have valid driving license.

Email : mfbarka1@omantel.net.om, Contact: 00968 98634898 fax: 26881211

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Experienced Secretary required for Ruwi office. Must have high standard of competence in MS Office suite and excellent Arabic / English communication skills.

Send CV and covering Email to mj-co@omantel.net.om

SITUATION WANTSIT.WANTED ARCHITECT 20+ years experience Architect M.B.A 10 years Muscat experience (local transfer) looking for job opportunity. Contact: 91709408 / 92981814 Architect looking for freelance work in (design plans and 3dmax).

Contact: 96041201 Architect, Indian Female with 04 years of work experience in Qatar, Oman & India seeking suitable position. Email: shaazneen.s@gmail. com, Contact No: 96635846

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Available Indian Graduate B.Com) / CA Final (Appeared) having 3 years practical Auditing & Accounting Experience. Currently in Oman on Visit Visa. #91418637 Accounting B.Com, 2 years experience in Indian tally ERP9, Peachtree, accounting, QuickBooks accounting SMACC , busy advanced excel PowerPoint E ďŹ ling of statutory return visit date 24/12/2015 visit exp 23/1/2015

Indian Accountant well experienced in construction accounts (Financial and Cost) and also administration and HR seek suitable placement (Full/Part time) in Oman or UAE. Contact 98598099 Part time accounts qualiďŹ ed experience accountant.

Contact: 91126314 Indian female 27 MBA Finance with 4+ years exp in banking, accounts exp in teaching ďŹ eld also presently on visit visa.

Contact: 94735164 / 96591950 Sudanese National Bachelor of Accounting 7 years experience electronic accounting and auditing. Contact: 94872045 Email: hussainhassan1@hotmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, ďŹ nance, banking, L/C, import, export & ďŹ nalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com Financial Accounting Manager having working experience 24 years looking job in construction or manufacturing companies 8 years working in Muscat expecting family status with good compensation. Contact: 95919546.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to ďŹ nalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, cammk13@ gmail.com Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp. in Accounts Finance, Tax Audit Management.

Contact: 95857199

Indian male 28 MBA & M.Com ďŹ nance 5 yrs exp in Accounts & ďŹ nance. NOC available seeks suitable placement. #93939421 Email: baleeq.ams@gmail.com 28/male/MBA - ďŹ nance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Contact 90187483 Indian lady, bachelor degree in Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), completed training course in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook from KTI looking for full time / part time job opportunity in Oman.

Contact 92437568, 96795853, Email: linda_navs@yahoo.com Part-time accounting, tax report, auditing & bank loan assistance.

Contact 91720465 Total 24 yrs exp. 15 years served Oman LLC SAOG, SAOC Contracting, trading manufacturing company as Finance Commercial Manager looks after ďŹ nance logistics, procurement, ERP, oracle, tally focus internal control implementation B.Com PGDBM, ICWA (Inter).

Contact: 91721545 / 95788723, mail: manojpanda111@hotmail.com Accounts & ďŹ nance: 32 yrs Indian male (B.Com) having 7 years Oman experience Oman D/L & NOC available, looking for suitable placement.Contact: 98093515 / 97494322 email: manusodharan83@gmail.com Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to ďŹ nalization, consulting & audit works. Contact: 96247295 Female Accountant with 10 years experience. 93726921 Accountant / account assistant, BBA, M.Com, Tally, Peach tree on valid visa in Oman. #98269281 Indian male, MBA (ďŹ nance), 1 year experience in Oman having Oman D/L and NOC on visit visa looking for a suitable job.

Contact 94109375 Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955 Indian male MBA ďŹ nance 12 years experience in Oman as Accounts / Admin manger, seeks suitable placement on visit visa. Can join immediately. Contact: 96055815 Email:shaikhussain111@gmail.com ACCA with more than 1year experience in an audit ďŹ rm looking for a suitable position in accounts, audit section in a company, having Oman driving license. #98428098

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ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ Ͳ ϵϴϵϲϴϰϵϱ ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

ADMIN Indian female, M.Tech electronics 6.5 IELTS experience as VLSI / Electronics project trainer & institute administration currently in family visa. Contact: 90195131 /24551290 Email: chinj.89@gmail.com Indian female Graduate over 6 years experience in Admin operations business support excellent MS Office skills looking for suitable job. Contact: 94231020 Indian Female MBA, 3 Year experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license looking for H.R position or P.R.O license . Looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288 Indian having more than 10 years experience (7 years in UAE) as project secretary, document controller, site administrator, site store keeper on visit seek suitable placement. Contact 92196001 14 years of Gulf experience in HR/ Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer pls call 97728418.

Indian male seeking office driver cum admin job having NOC and 5 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 97942787 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 Indian female 29 MBA (HR) BSc Oman & India, 3 years exp in Admin & HR seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95619537 Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs HR /Admin experience seeking suitable placement with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 98236033 Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DOMESTIC HELP Looking full time job.

Contact: 99153378

DRIVER Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Light driver looking for job.

Contact: 95219183

ACCOUNTANT WJUI ZFBST PG FYQFSJFODF (working in Oman since Jan 2013) is looking for a change.

Experienced in all aspect of accounting up to finalization of accounts. Also experienced in Insurance underwriting and claim settlement.

NOC will be available

Contact: 95503646 Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement Contact 97950869 Light driver need job knows English, Hindi & Arabic.

Contact: 92820309 Light driver need job 4 years exp English & Arabia speaking.

Contact: 94208089 Job for driving.

Contact: 98982410

Sri Lanka (BSC) quantity surveyor, having 3 years GCC experience is looking for a suitable placement 1 such as QS/ Contract administrator for / estimator / project coordinator has knowledge in Fidic and construction standard available in visit visa. Contact: 96301107 /94292198 Email: mailifaisfreed@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

27 years, 1 year experience, with D/L. Contact: 97369716

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711

Indian young smart driver 5 years Oman exp speaking English Arabic, Hindi looking for job.

Contact: 94524433

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Pakistani male light driver 10 yrs in UAE & 1 yr in Oman.

Contact: 93709393

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Light driver Ruwi.

Contact: 95779594 Having Oman D/L seeking suitable placement of driver.

Contact: 92789805 Light Driver, 4 yrs exp in Oman.

Contact: 94608755 Looking for driver job 3 years Oman experience. Contact: 98244078 / 93798802 Driver with car available for part time job.

Contact: 96320385 Driver 2 years job visa Indian male (31 yrs). Contact: 96525311 Light driver Indian 4 yrs exp in Oman having own car need job.

NOC available. Contact: 93053917 Bangladeshi male light driver exp 14 years need job and visa transfer, release paper available.

Contact: 99165961 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Interior designer Indian male with 4 years experience / 3Ds Max, AutoCAD .Now on visit visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94886507 Email: vizhue07@gmail.com 25 years male BA. English , Qualified as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation specialized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97917357

EDUCATION Indian female masters in computer science and Engineering B.Tech in information technology , M.B.A ( Systems) 3 years experience teaching in college , having good knowledge in C++ , java oracle now on visit visa looking for openings in Educational institutions.

Contact: 91812419/96935426 Email: anorelindhinesh@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Sudanese Architectural Engineer 2 years experience in Oman, Revit, AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94722356 Email: maya40999@hotmail.com Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

Civil Engineer / QS engineer, 9 years experience in Oman freelance visa, searching for a suitable job in Oman. Contact: 97299165 Sr.HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+ Diploma Safety + NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release/Transfer Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement. Contact - 97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Highly experienced mechanical/ steel structural fabrication engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 99860714, hussain20173@gmail.com.

Networking Engineer having 10 years experience with 3 years in Oman having valid driving license and NOC, presently in Oman needs immediate placement.

Contact - 95783383 10 years experience in Dubai & Bangladeshi as a BSC Engineer on structural designer & construction having Dubai municipality approval & driving license. Contact: 91206763 Future 008801758846027 Email: engr.masud.civil.@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) Indian male, with good knowledge in HVAC on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90154793 Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com HSE & Fire Safety Engineer 4 years experience air port operational safety, power & chemical industry. Contact: 94374241 Indian male 31, Mechanical Enggr with 9+ year’s exp in Quality Assurance / control presently on visit visa. Contact: 94735164 / 96591950 Electrical Engineer B.Tech with 4 yrs experience in India available on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94741401 Email: sobinthomask05@gmail. com Indian male electrical engineer having 3 yrs exp in industrial electrical machine maintenance & data center facilities management looking for suitable placement (NOC available). Contact :99381733 Email : shihab4eee@gmail.com Architect Engineer with 3 years experience in Muscat looking for a suitable job Contact: 91262904, Email: saeedbakayeh@gmail.com Indian female, BE in EEE having 3yrs exp in Software & 1 yr Experience in Marketing & Admin in Muscat, looking for suitable placement. Tel:93422434 Operating Engineer MBA holder 5 years experience in electroplating and coating of metals. #94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com Indian male Diploma Civil Engineer have 1 yr. experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job (certificate attested).

Contact: 92667406 / 99210411, Email : manojgvh@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 91 9605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 Electrical & Instrumentation Engineer, Gulf Experience, 3 Year, Immediately available.Contact95691800 Email: fasalf@gmail.com Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com Procurement Engineer (27 years Single Male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electro-mechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. (Contact 95852033, hemal1988@gmail.com Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com Sudanese Structure Civil Engineer 2 years experience resident Omani license. Contact: 94393880 Bangladeshi male Diploma in Civil Engineer with D/L 5 years exp, 4 years in Oman has exp. in building construction seeking a suitable placement. Contact: 96732988 Electrical Engineer Indian (29) , 7 years exp in Oman, 33KV, 11 KV projects in MZEC & MEDC having CEP 1 & NOC with D/L. Contact: 99822373 Need job for experienced mason, electrician & welder.

Contact: 93015630 Telecom Engineer and HSE Advisor with 6 years experience in Oman with PDO requirement, fluent in Arabic and English with valid driving license searching for job. Contact: 96355678 16+ yrs of Techno commercial experience in ELV systems seeking suitable position in mid management level. Local release available. Contact: 98143907 Email: mazher2005@yahoo.com M.Tech in Manufacturing Engineering with 2 years of experience, on visiting visa looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91417949 Email: dannyrangde@gmail.com BE Mech specialization welding technology 11 yrs quality cont Engineer by Steel Cons EPL Installation desalination plant (Gulf). Contact: 96603299 Electrical Engineer: Indian male, 30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF tyres), holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 92789995, email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Instrument Engineer B.Tech Indian male, 24 yrs, 1 yrs experience in reputed oil & gas companies, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job. Contact: 92007218 Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Transmission Cable Technician / Cable Splicer: Saudi Aramco & Saudi Electricity Co License Holder.

Experience 5yrs, Age 29yrs, Nationality Pakistani: KSA Valid Driving License. Immediately Available.

Contact: 92850409 Email: usman0083@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs, with 4 yrs of experience in manufacturing oil & gas retail, brand promoting, marketing, logistics having valid Omani D/L seeking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 97098676 Email: ja237le@gmail.com Chemical Engineer MBA holder ITC certified in supply chain management, ERP familiar 5 years experience. Contact: 94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com 5 years of experience in Business Analyst & Product Management with Engineering in ECE on visit visa Contact: 91374247 Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Project Civil Engineer, BSc, 6 years experience in Oman, building construction Fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi Release and NOC Available). Tel: 97858589 Civil Engineer (Diploma) having 11 years experience in building construction, looking for a suitable placement , having Oman driving license. Noc available.

Contact: 95075365 Email: azharraaz@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591 Civil Engineer diploma holder having 7 years experience of Site Engineer with valid Omani D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93294965 Email: hamza.nazeer717@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY Indian male B.A Degree & diploma in hotel management with 16 years experience as restaurant & catering manager in Oman & Saudi with V/L Oman D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92100141 Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT Indian male B.E ECE 25 yrs with 2 years experience in Networking MCITP CISCO certified AutoCAD searching for suitable placement.

Contact: 90189537 Indian male (29) MCA Post Graduate 4.6 years experienced skilled in System and Network administration seeking job in IT sector now on visiting visa.

Contact: 92805363 Email: anukkuttan1986@gmail.com Indian male 26 years with BBA, tally and hard ware networking, having 3 years of experience as an accountant, seeking for suitable placement. Contact: 98201244 5yrs experience in software and 1yr in admin, looking for a part-time or work from home jobs Contact: 91711326 Indian male (28) MCA 6 yrs experienced Oracle 10g, 6I, PL / SQL forms / reports seeking job in IT sector now on visit visa.

Contact: 91475059 Email: maridurai19@yahoo.com Software Engineering Graduate, 2 years IT Sales Experience, D/L + NOC, Contact: 94464786 Sudanese Network Administrator 1 year experience with (MCSA, CCNA, CCNP) have valid driving license. Contact: 92394485 Network Engineer degree Computer Science CCNA, MCSA experience NOC. Content: 92346191 Indian male 26 years BSC IT with 4 years experience currently on visit visa looking for IT support job knowledge of networking, programming languages, windows / Linux environment. Contact: +968 95369856 / 24781651 Email: mark.tony.alphonso@hotmail.com Dynamics AX 2009 / 2012 R2/ R3 Microsoft certified professional MCA & BCA Having 15 yrs of total exp & 6 yrs of relevant exp seeking for suitable position. NOC is available. Contact: 93469493 Email: axcertprof@gmail.com Indian male 27 yrs Master in Computer applications currently in Muscat with Oman driving L/C seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 93191800 Email: vijilraj60@gmail.com

Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com

Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867

Diploma in Electronics, 2 years exp in telecommunication.

Contact: 94519571 Email: telecommunicationvishnumadhull @gmail.com

10 years Oman experience ICT Sector, capable of handling large accounts, looking for suitable Senior Executive position.

Contact: 98987654

Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270

Indian female MCA Graduate, holding valid driving license seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 99466062

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im

Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com

B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately.

NOC available.

Contact: 92462578

MANAGER Logistics All rounder Indian male 23 years experience administration material management, supply chain, warehouse, purchase, marketing, inventory, accounting, Oman D/L. NOC available.

Contact: 95980115 25 years experienced Supervisor in plumbing & firefighting available, NOC & driving license.

Contact: 95703680

D6

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED MANAGER

MISCELLANEOUS

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business.

Contact :- 92385033

Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in International Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suitable job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331

Indian male having experience more than 13 yrs, 4 years in Oman as Store keeper, Procurement in reputed company looking suitable placement release available.

Contact: 92245926 Email: mohammedbasheer700@gmail.com Indian male 25, On Visit Visa MBA (HR & Marketing) experienced in Sales, Looking for Suitable Position, Contact 92788018, shinemoncherian@gmail.com 10 years experience in Oman in logistics / purchase have Oman D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact- 96410767 Email: harishkts@yahoo.com

LOGISTICS More than 8 years of gulf experience & qualified executive in Air freight & Sea freight, proven work experience in logistics coordination, shipment, export and import Coordination, cross shipments and client relation etc. Contact: 95149624 / 0097150-3462492

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

Male nurse MOH licensed having NOC completed BLS, ACLS total 6 yrs exp seeking suitable job, join at anytime . Contact : 91322744

South Indian hold 12 years Omani residency – B.E, MBA, PGDM, MCIM, result oriented self starter - Techno commercial Executive 15 years core experience in business development/ marketing oil & gas (all streams) & manufacturing. seeking suitable placement. Contact 99277816/ myakram@hotmail.com

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact: 96436517 /97396088

MISCELLANEOUS Female business graduate from UK with four years corporate in procurement purchasing expediting logistics and supply chains in UAE Seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99581399 Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474

B.Sc Graduate with 4.4 years work experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development looking for a job. Currently in Oman and ready to join immediately.

Contact : 00968-95096284 Indian marketing & sales professional for automobile, hotel & retail with over 7 years experience Indian & us on visit & seeking change/ suitable placement.

Contact: 99454425 Email: qamest@omantel.net.om

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 29 yrs having 6 years Oman experience in hotel industry & sales looking for a suitable placement. NOC available having Oman driving license. #91059015 Email: nidhin.lal86@gmail.com Indian male with more than 15 years experience in construction, agriculture, industrial tools, air coolers & personal protective equipments looking for suitable position in sales & marketing valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92406527

34 yrs, Indian male 7 years sales & marketing exp have valid D/L. Contact: 99869456 MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Cont : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Sales Coordinator, BBA MBA (pursuing) tally on valid visa in Oman. Contact : 98269281

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA in marketing on visit looking for a job in Sales and Marketing.

Contact: 91270215 Email: nibuvarughese13@gmail.com

Part- Time Accountant, well experienced senior accountant ,doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439

Indian male, 23 years PG diploma in Petroleum Engineering and B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering holding UAE driving license seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 95880127 / 95084905 Email: vijith2573459@gmial.com

Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286, Email : azimmohd@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 26, with more than 4 years experience in Sales and Marketing having valid GCC license on visit visa seeks suitable position. Contact: 92423161

Assistant Purchase Manager experience 9 years at Oman in Construction Company skills driving license.

Contact: 98894178 Email: amerfawzy2000@yahoo.com

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA (Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs exp in Accounts/Finance field, On Visit Visa. Immediately available.

Contact – 92989197 / 94786544. mail: abdulqhizer2004@gmail.com.

PG diploma in Strategic Management having two years experience in Marketing and Management currently on visit visa seeking for suitable job. Contact : 93406821 Email: sayeedminhaj@gmail.com

Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com

HR Manual, Employee Handbook, Recruitment, Training, HR Consultancy. Are you looking for freelancer HR professional?

Please contact on 97914669

Indian female M.Sc in computer application, having experience in Muscat looking for suitable placement available to join immediately.

Contact: 94591608

Indian Female, Master of Technology (M.Tech) in Electronics & Communication Engineering, currently in Muscat with Family Visa,1+ year experience in Teaching seeks suitable placement in Muscat. Contact 96209509

Indian male Sales Engineer 18 years experience (pneumatics, electric, air compressor, garage equipments etc) including 5 years Gulf experience currently employed in Oman with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact 94425942 Email: kishorekumar.naik@yahoo.in BBA graduate /Valid Omani license/2 year experience/ Preferred role Marketing / Sales / Business development Executive.

Contact-94122944, raashidjabir@protonmail.ch Indian male B.Sc Chemistry Graduate 6 years experience in India seeking suitable placement willing to work in any field currently on visiting visa. Contact: 94855667 / 92255983 Pakistani male three years experience in Oman speaks excellent English, earlier worked as English speaking tourist guide.

Contact : 99120956 Indian 16 yrs sales / marketing all Oman experience, on visit visa with D/L. Contact: 90205082 B.Tech Electronics Indian male experience in Technical & marketing 2 years Oman driving license.

Contact: 98627362 , email : shah9746099350@gmail.com

Sales & Marketing Executive MBA with 3 years experience in sales looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727.

Indian female (M.Tech in Power system) having Gulf experience seeking suitable placement in Oman, now in family visa.

Contact: 94306164 / 91001194 5 years experience in Sales currently looking for a placement.

Contact: 93458869 30 yr old experienced available with NOC & Oman driving license 6+years experience in chemicals Industry. Contact: 96675065 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Looking for immediate sales and marketing 3 years GCC experience with valid driving license now on visit visa till Feb 12.

Contact: 99642611 Email: kashif_iam@yahoo.com

MISCELLANEOUS

MBA Graduate (Indian) 2 years experience in Auto sales & marketing looking for suitable job in automatic industry.

Contact: 94676974 Email: dabdulmuqsit@gmail.com

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

MISCELLANEOUS Bangladeshi male, University MA, working as administrator in Oman; searching better job.

Phone: 91997605 Email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail. com Indian male looking job part time driver. Contact: 93884951 Indian male BE, (ECE) 18 months experience in Telecom Sector as installation and Commissioning Engineer, troubleshooting the bts, 3G and LTE equipments currently on visit. Contact: 95183497 Email: v.karthi984@gmail.com BE Mechanical Engineer / MBA Indian male 25 yrs, currently working in Qatar skills MEP designing surveying, Oracle, AutoCAD, SAP. Contact: 97474470866 & C/O in Oman 95071632

27,male,ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally, focus and oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization ,seeking for permanent replacement in senior position,GSM-91324962,email id : abdullah.nooralam@gmail.com B.TECH ( IT) . 24 years, 2 Years of experience in technical support, software development, networking, troubleshooting and managing, seeks suitable placement.

Contact GSM- 98184170 Indian Male 4 years experience Chef. Indian, Chinese Cuisine seek suitable placement. # 99883019 Chief Accountant , 7 years experienced (out of 25 years experience in accounts) worked in reputed group companies. Currently procuring MBA finance and having Omani Driving License seeks suitable openings from reputed companies.

Contact : 95598477 / 98803439 Indian male having 6 Years of Experience in Oman Having Valid Driving License working as a Purchase officer, looking for a suitable Position, NOC Available.

Contact: 95132564 / 96456071, E-mail:naji1988@gmail.com Indian female 22 years 1 year experience in Secretary & Accounting, Tally, looking for suitable job on visit visa. Contact: 97084473 Email: jumihasin10@gamil.com Relationship Manager, Indian male 28 yrs, BBA, MBA 5 year’s exp, currently working in India computer skilled. Contact: 0091 974710108 / 95071632 Bangladeshi Male, University MA, 5 years experience in IT sales & marketing working as sales coordinator in Oman; searching better job. Phone: 91997605, email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail. com Indian, Keralite seeks cleaning job part time. Contact: 90169048 Indian Male 28yr age having 7year gulf+ Indian experience in HR/Admin field, looking for suitable placement. Contact:97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com

Sri Lankan Male, 23 years old with 3 years of Sales experience and basic accounting knowledge (AAT and Tally) Seeking for a suitable position.

Contact-94864296 Indian, male, 28, BBM degree holder. having 2 years experience.

1 year in banking industry & 1 year in hotel industry. good accounts knowledge also. seeking a suitable job. Contact# 94678590, email: awesh.khokar@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/ server, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/ Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532 Indian female, 35 years, Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with no experience and BSc & MA seeking suitable positions in pharmacy, pharmacy stores, hospital, polyclinic & pharmaceutical companies. Contact 90236481 Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494 Indian Female Accountant, now in Oman on Visit Visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94250871.

Sudanese male 31 years, 3 years Diploma in electrical engineer , 6 years and 1year in Oman experience in building construction and electrical plants, have oman drive license. Contact No : 94549609 Chief Accountant , 7 years experienced ( out of 25 years experience in accounts) worked in reputed group companies. Currently procuring MBA finance and having Omani Driving License seeks suitable openings from reputed companies.

Indian Male, pursuing ACCA with knowledge in C++, Java looking for accounting job.

Contact 94743462.

Email: zabinbashu@gmail.com Well-qualified Indian Female with 8 years of experience in Procurement Supply Chain from reputed Companies in Oman seeks placement. Contact 91374217

GOOD NEWS FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

NRI Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipality, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic amenities at reasonable price.

Contact – 0091 8686631669 1100 Sqft Property for sale opposite to SP Fort Hospital, Trivandrum. Contact 91254791, 91 8893226226

SITUATION WANTTOURS ED Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

TRANSPORTATION Transportation.Contact: 99099714

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

Transportation Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92711421 Transportation. Contact: 91310107

DRIVING

3 bedroom flat for sale Kerala, EKM, Palarivattom. Contact: 00968 95993089/ 0091 9446845999/ 0091 4842422700 Jimmy

Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909 Transportation. Contact: 99664703

Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune Contact 95272138, (+918390982975)

Transportation. Contact 96173326 Silver car, car rental at good rate.

Contact: 96166155/93530540

MATRIMONIAL Menon / Nair boy 30 years, looking for a girl, preferred from Ottapalam area. Contact: 99505473 Hindu nair age 64, looking for a suitable girl. # 0091 755900189

MATRIMONIAL Nair boy 27 years Keralite working in Canada looking for qualified girl. Contact: 99361442

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver.

Contact: 99839898

Transportation. Contact 94510847 Transportation Contact: 99077395 Transportation taxi mini bus.

Contact: 93091106

D8

S U N DAY, JA N UA RY 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

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MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble.Contact 24793614/ 99314807 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130 We are providing services like Accounts, Auditing, Tax Reports, Feasibility Study, Bank Loan Assistance & L L C Registration ASAS AUDIT & CONSULTANCY Contact at 91720465/94319719

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact: 93769089 / 95323517 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED An Investing partner needed for a printing press.

Contact: 99498949

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE 92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com